Finding Grace
by clmzta83
Summary: As both the past and future meet, a new threat takes the newly reunited Pevensie siblings to worlds they never knew existed and they embark on their greatest adventure yet. The conclusion to the "Grace Series."
1. Chapter 1

Edmund woke from the feeling of fingers drawing circles on the side of his chest. He lifted his head slightly and saw a mop of dark curls in disarray. He chuckled silently at his wife who was lying across him. It was rare that Georgie woke before he did these days; he usually had to be the one to drag her from bed in the mornings and prod her to get dressed and begin their day. The vibrations from his laughter caused Georgie to turn her head towards him, a light smile on her face.

"How long have you been awake?" he asked, running his fingers down her spine. He saw her shrug before she turned her head towards the window, propping it on her hand that had flattened against him.

"The sun's been shining for a while. It was dark when I woke up," she said quietly. A sparkle out of the corner of Edmund's eye caught his attention. It was the ring he had bought for Georgie so many years ago, her engagement ring that had sat on the same finger since the day she opened the box that held it. He reached up and took her hand in his, his eyes remaining on the ring. Georgie looked at him with confusion.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I hate that I never actually got to ask you to marry me. I had it all planned out. It was going to be the best proposal I had ever given," he said softly. Georgie rolled her eyes and asked, "Oh? So you've given more than one proposal?"

"Well, technically I've never given one, much less more than one," he said, smiling at her. "I just wish I could have proposed to you rather than you find your ring the way you did," he said, a touch of sadness in his voice. Georgie glared at him for several moments, slightly irritated he had brought that particular part of the past up.

The day she had found her ring had been one of the most heart-breaking moments of her life, one she constantly pushed to the back of her mind hoping that one day it would disappear. Caspian's words of _"There were no survivors"_ still repeated in her mind on occasion, haunting her worse than any ghost ever could. Edmund and his three siblings had been on a trip to Terebinthia to arrange Lucy's engagement to the island's prince and, on route to Archenland to return Princess Laira to her home at Anvard, a storm had swept the four Pevensies overboard and destroyed the ship. Georgie had only found out later, after she had come to Aslan's Country, they had actually been returned to their home in England.

Sighing, Georgie rolled her eyes and turned over and leaned back. "It's a little late for that, don't you think?" she said lightly as she pointed to the tell-tale bump on her stomach. Edmund chuckled and ran his hand over his wife's pregnant stomach, pushing the thin material of her nightgown with it.

"Is the baby why you woke early? Is it giving you problems again?" he asked, shuddering from his memories of the first month of her pregnancy and how sick she had been. Georgie shook her head and sat up, her eyes smiling.

"No, the baby's fine. I just couldn't sleep any more. Susan comes home today!" she said excitedly. Edmund chuckled again, a mischievous smile tugging on his lips.

"I'm well aware that my sister is coming home today. But she has kept us waiting for quite some time," he said, pulling the string at the neck of Georgie's nightgown. It fluttered open, the shoulder sliding down slightly.

"I'm supposed to go meet her. It's very important that I not be late," Georgie said sternly, swatting Edmund's hand away from her shoulder.

"Sweetheart," he said sternly as he sat up. "I know how excited you are about my sister returning. I imagine I'm even more excited. But she won't be back for who knows how long; we might as well enjoy our time together now." He slowly threaded his fingers through her hair, leaning down to kiss her, knowing that her resolve would soon melt. With a happy sigh, Georgie leaned into him, deepening their kiss. Edmund laughed low against her mouth, leaning back and pulling her with him. He inched her nightgown down her shoulder, kissing the place where it had been before making his way back up to her mouth. A pounding on the door broke the two apart, their heads jerking simultaneously towards the bedroom door.

"Ed! Get up!" a voice yelled from the other side.

"Hang it all, Peter!" Edmund yelled back in frustration. Georgie giggled as she pulled away from him.

"Oh, no you don't, G," Edmund growled, grabbing her back. "I'm not letting any of my siblings get in the way of you today." Georgie shrieked as he gently flipped her on her back, pulling the covers over them both as he kissed her.

* * *

Peter pushed open the doors to the Great Hall. His wife was there, instructing a group of workers that were hanging decorations throughout the room. Glancing around the room he cringed. As much as he loved her, his wife had no taste when it came to décor. He often turned to his sister to go behind her, fixing whatever dreadful color combinations she had come up with. While Lucy definitely didn't have Susan's magical touch when it came to things like this, hers was certainly better than Laira's.

"Darling!" she exclaimed when she saw Peter, hurrying over to him. Peter wrapped her in his arms, placing a small kiss on her forehead.

"Busy this morning?" he teased.

"We wanted to start setting up for Susan's return. I hope she likes it!" Laira said wistfully.

"Well, it's certainly… unique," he carefully said of the teal and bright green banners that hung from the walls.

"You'll check with Lucy to see if she wants to add anything? I don't want to take Susan's homecoming from her; I only wanted to get some basic things done. And I know you like Lucy to look over everything to make sure I haven't made too much a mess of things," Laira said nonchalantly.

Peter glanced at her, his eyes wide with worry. Laira grinned at him before pushing away. "You know I'm terrible at these things. I don't know why you keep insisting that I help plan all our events. I, for one, can't wait for Susan to return so she can take over everything and I can stop pretending that I enjoy this," she teased.

"Alright, alright. From now on, one of my sisters will be in charge of these things. That way you can worry about your own agenda, which I hope includes spending more time with me," he said, giving her a wink.

"I'll see if I can work you in," Laira replied, smiling at her husband.

"Thanks," Peter replied sarcastically. "Have you seen Edmund this morning?" he asked, remembering why he had come to the Great Hall. Laira shook her head.

"I don't know if he's even been up yet. I haven't seen him or Georgiana at all this morning. Of course, that's nothing new not seeing her before noon," she said.

Peter sighed in annoyance. He and his brother had planned on waking early to go riding and discuss the additions to Cair Paravel's inhabitants, namely his sister and new brother-in-law. Peter mainly wanted to discuss his feelings about Susan's return; he was worried that she would be unable to forgive him for how they had parted and their heated words they had exchanged in the past. It had been on his mind since it had been told that Susan would soon come to Aslan's Country.

"That brother is beyond aggravating!" he said frustratedly as he turned to leave the Hall.

"Peter!" Laira called, hurrying after him. When she caught up, she linked her arm through his. "Is it really so bad he hasn't gotten up yet? Not everyone wakes at dawn like we do," she said, hoping to console her husband's temper.

"No, it's not bad that he hasn't gotten up. It's bad that he missed a meeting with me that I considered to be important," Peter said sharply. Laira sighed but stayed silent. She knew there was no reasoning with Peter when he was mad at his brother. When they reached Edmund and Georgie's bedchamber, Peter shrugged out of Laira's grasp to knock on the door, pounding his fist against it.

"Ed! Get up!" he yelled.

"Hang it all, Peter!" his brother yelled back. A loud giggle followed.

"They're both up! What are they doing?" Peter complained angrily.

"Oh, as if you don't know," Laira muttered. Peter turned to glare at her, his lips turning into a stern frown. They both turned towards the door as a loud shriek came from behind it, followed by Edmund's deep laugh. Peter looked back at Laira, who shrugged. "They're still newly weds. What can you expect?" she asked, grinning. Peter returned her grin and moved closer to her, drawing her into his arms.

"Well, if they can both still be considered newly weds, I guess that gives us a reason to act like that too," he said slyly. Edmund and Georgie had gotten married before Peter and Laira, a constant joke between the two brothers.

"I suppose if you want to do things like your little brother does…" Laira teased, trailing off when she caught the playful look in Peter's eye.

"Oh, I intend to do things much better than my little brother," he said, his voice lowering. Laira squealed when Peter suddenly picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. He chuckled as he began walking quickly to their bedchamber, Laira's mutterings to put her down humoring him. As they walked the hall, they passed Lucy and Jill walking in the opposite direction. Jill smiled widely at Peter, giggling as they passed. Lucy, however, rolled her eyes at them.

"Can't you two behave?" she called after them.

"Sorry Lucy!" Laira called back, giving her sister-in-law a helpless grin.

When Peter reached their bedchamber, he turned the handle and kicked the door open. Walking to their bed, he gently dumped his wife on it before returning to the door to lock it. Turning back to the bed, he smirked at his wife. _Always the proper princess,_ he thought, silently laughing at the way she had primly sat on the bed. Just as it had when they had first gotten to know each other in Tashbaan, her primness was oddly seductive to him. He saw behind her façade she had built, finding her to be warm and inviting, especially in moments like these.

"So you were going to show me how you were better than your brother?" she asked lightly, inspecting one of her nails. Peter chuckled as he slowly walked to his wife. He took her face in his hands gently, moving slowly towards her before whispering, "Oh, I'm going to show you how I am _much_ better than my brother."

* * *

Lucy put the finishing touches on her hair, turning her head at different angles in front of the mirror to make sure it looked perfect.

"For someone who never puts her hair up, I say you did a wonderful job," she told her reflection. She stood to inspect the rest of herself.

The gown she had picked, after going through her entire wardrobe twice, was perfect. It was, in fact, one of Susan's favorites that she had designed just for Lucy during one of their times in Narnia. She still found it strange, in a wonderful sort of way, that all her clothing and belongings that she had loved dearly in Narnia were now here, as if they had waited for her all this time. A knock on the door brought her out of her musings. Lucy walked to the door, opening it to see Jill standing there.

"Jill! What are you doing here this morning?" Lucy asked.

"I thought maybe we could go for a walk," Jill said.

"Sure, that would be nice," Lucy agreed. She stepped out of her room and shut the door behind her. Jill took her arm, linking theirs together, as they walked down the hall. "How do things look in the Great Hall?" Lucy asked hesitantly. Jill groaned.

"Oh, Lucy, you're going to need to go in there before Susan comes home. I love Laira, but Aslan help her, the woman has no idea how to match colors," she said. Lucy laughed brightly. She knew that she shouldn't allow Laira to plan for their parties and balls and dinners, but she couldn't bring herself to tell her sister-in-law to stop. Laira always seemed to try so hard to please everyone that Lucy was scared it would hurt her feelings.

"I'll take a look and see what I can do," Lucy promised. The two turned the corner and saw Peter walking towards them, a flurry of skirts hanging over his shoulder. "What are they doing?" Lucy muttered.

The two women heard Laira's protests and giggles; Jill smiled at the couple, knowing how much she liked their happy relationship. As the couple passed them, Jill smiled wider and giggled seeing Peter's determined look and Laira's smiling face. Lucy rolled her eyes at her brother, irritated that everyone surrounding her was acting foolishly. Edmund and Georgie were constantly sneaking off or stealing kisses when they thought no one was looking. Peter and Laira rarely showed much affection in public, but when they did, it was always a big show, such as the one Lucy currently was viewing.

"Can't you two behave?" she called after her brother and his wife. Laira looked up and gave Lucy a helpless grin.

"Sorry Lucy!" she called back.

"Oh, Lucy, don't be such a stick in the mud. I think it's nice that they're so in love. I wish I could be," Jill said cheerfully. "Eustace has acted like he likes me, but I still can't decide. At the ball the other night, he kissed me in the garden…" Jill trailed off when she caught Lucy's narrowed eyes and frown.

"Please, don't continue with that. I don't' want to hear about my cousin and you kissing," she said.

"I think you're just in need of a little companionship. What about Tirian? He's been very taken by you since you two met," Jill suggested. Lucy thought briefly of the handsome young king they had met when they had first entered into Aslan's Country. She _had_ thought him very kind and wonderful. He had taken to her instantly, hanging on her every word whenever she spoke. He was older than her, older than Peter at the time, so she forced herself to push any thoughts of him out of her head. Her brothers would never allow that relationship, despite them being in a place more magical than they had ever been before.

"I don't think that's it, Jill," Lucy said quietly. Jill stopped, staring at Lucy puzzled.

"Lucy, you're not still upset about your fiancé from before marrying someone else, are you?" she asked. Lucy shook her head.

"It hurt, yes; to know that he'd found another woman that he could love was more painful than I had originally thought. But I could have hardly expected him to not find someone new after we left Narnia. We were supposed to be dead after all. I just get lonely sometimes. Edmund has Georgiana, Peter has Laira… I just want someone to have," Lucy admitted. Jill smiled and said, "Well, there's always Tirian!"

Lucy rolled her eyes and started walking again, leaving Jill behind. Once she had hurried and caught up to Lucy, Jill said, "Sorry, sorry. I won't speak of him again unless you want to. Let's talk instead about your sister coming home!" Lucy smiled widely.

"That's something that I'm excited about! I can hardly wait until Susan gets here. It's going to be so wonderful to have my older sister again!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes, it will be nice. Maybe Susan will even help you with your little Tirian problem," Jill said slyly. Lucy cried out in frustration.

"Jill! No more about Tirian!" she yelled, storming off as her cheeks began blushing.

Turning the corner she ran into a solid wall, soft and hard at the same time, the force of it knocking her askew.

"Your Majesty!" a deep voice said. Arms clamped on her shoulders, helping her right herself. Lucy glanced up, pushing her now crooked crown back on her head as she saw Tirian staring down at her.

"I apologize for not watching where I was going. Are you alright?" he asked kindly.

"I, uh, yes, fine," Lucy stammered, moving out of his grasp. Tirian smiled warmly at her and said, "I'm glad to hear so. From now on, I'll be sure to watch where I'm going so I don't cause you any more distress." He walked away, giving her a small wave as he turned back to look at her. Lucy's heart fluttered from seeing his dazzling smile, scowling to herself as he disappeared down the hall and thinking, _Lucy, you're ridiculous_.


	2. Chapter 2

**Tashbaan, during the Narnian reign of King Caspian X and his wife, High King Peter, Queen Susan, King Edmund and Queen Lucy**

Peter pulled off his tunic and tossed it on the bed. He walked to the table against the wall and picked up the pitcher of water, pouring some out into a basin. Leaning over, he splashed some of the water onto his hot face.

_This ridiculous heat. How do the Calormenes stand it? _he thought as he wiped his face with a towel. He tossed the towel on the table and opened the window, hoping the night breeze would cool him. The air was stifling. He slammed the window and locked it back. Peter walked to the large table set in the center of his room, staring down at the maps and letters on it. Prince Rishdamar had provided him with all reports given by the Calormene soldiers who had seen Lord Brin over the years.

A decanter of wine sat on the table. Peter poured a glass and sipped it. "This is pointless," he said to the map. It was covered in marks that he and Caspian had made, crossing out different areas of Tashbaan and other cities in Calormen that they thought Lord Brin might have been in. Peter was frustrated; their search had gotten them no where and they still had no plan of what to do with Brin once they found him. Edmund had been no help and Peter knew he couldn't ask Lucy or Georgiana. If he could have his way, he knew he would have no qualms about sentencing the man to the quickest death possible.

Sighing, he drained his glass and set it down. Deciding it was too late to study map any longer and that he was exhausted, he walked to his bed, ready to sleep. As he pulled back the covers, a light tapping at his door caught his attention. "Who in the world...?" he muttered, irritated that someone was disturbing him so late. He walked to the door and opened it, mentally preparing himself to deal with whatever irritation that awaited behind it. A young woman stood there, achingly beautiful but haggard, with a terrified look on her face.

"King Peter?" she asked timidly. Peter cocked his head at her, wondering who she was.

"Yes?" he asked.

"You have to help me," she whispered, glancing over her shoulder.

"Who are you?" he asked, peering at her closely. She looked back at him, her eyes widening.

"You don't remember me?" she asked, her eyes beginning to fill with tears.

"I don't- You look familiar, but I can't seem to place you," he said slowly, scrutinizing her from head to toe. It suddenly dawned on him that he had seen her before, when her hair was lighter and she wasn't quite as tan. Her features had matured, as had the rest of her body; no longer was she the skinny girl with bird-like features. She was now a beautiful woman, her hair dark honey-blonde, her skin tanned from the Calormene sun.

"Laira? I mean, Princess Laira?" Peter breathed. The woman let out a sigh of relief and nodded.

"Please, King Peter. I don't know who else to turn to," she said, raising her hands. Peter glanced down at them, gasping when he saw the blood that covered them and was splattered on her dress.

"What happened to you?" he asked alarmed. Laira burst into tears before answering, "I killed my husband."

"You what? You mean, Brin?" Peter asked angrily. Laira nodded. Sighing deeply, Peter motioned for her to come in. "Come inside," he said. Laira's head jerked up, surprised at the king's invitation.

"I mean no disrespect, your majesty, but I cannot come in there," she said. Her voice had stiffened, reminding Peter of the first time they had met when they both were younger. He had instantly disliked the prim, stuck up princess.

"Why ever not?" he asked, slightly cross at the difficult woman. Laira's eyes briefly glanced at his bare chest, her cheeks reddening as she looked back up at him. Peter noticed the movement and realized he had taken his tunic off earlier for bed. "Oh! One moment," he said as he turned to walk quickly to his bed where his discarded tunic now lay. Pulling it on, he walked back to where Laira stood. "Come on. I'll take you to my sister," he said, shutting his bedchamber door behind him. He grasped her arm tightly and began pulling her down the hall.

"Your sister? Queen Susan?" she asked as she struggled to keep up with his long strides. He glared down at her.

"No, my sister Lucy," he replied.

"Good," Laira whispered, sounding relieved.

"Why good?" he asked, confused by her apparent relief.

"I think Queen Lucy will be more understanding than Queen Susan," she said. Peter snorted.

"I wouldn't count on it," he muttered.

When they reached Lucy's room, Peter knocked loudly on her door, impatiently tapping his foot while they waited. When Lucy did not appear fast enough, Peter pounded on the door again and called, "Lucy! Open up!" Seconds later the door cracked open, a very sleepy looking Lucy peering out.

"What?" she croaked, her voice thick with sleep. Her eyes widened when she saw her very angry brother holding the arm of a very distraught woman. Pulling the door open wider, she took in the woman's appearance, gasping when she saw the blood. Glaring at her brother, she cried, "What did you do to her?"

"What did I do? Why is that the first thing you jump to?" he yelled.

"Queen Lucy," Laira quickly interceded, not wanting to be the cause of a fight between the king and his sister. Lucy turned to the woman, peering at her curiously. "I don't know if you remember me; we met years ago, but you were still very young when we did. I'm Princess-" she was cut off by Lucy.

"Laira. Of course, I remember you. Your eyes… they're still very pretty. I remember being jealous of them when I was younger and we met. You certainly have only gotten more beautiful with age," Lucy said kindly.

"Lucy, while I'm sure you're very right, this is hardly the time for pleasantries," Peter said sarcastically.

"What's happened?" Lucy asked turning serious.

"She's killed Brin," he replied. Lucy's head shot to Laira, her eyes growing hard in anger.

"You've what?" she cried.

"It all happened so fast. He attacked me and I- I just reacted. I don't regret it though, not after all he's done to me and your family," Laira said, her voice growing cold.

"Oh, how dreadful! You poor thing," Lucy exclaimed, her face softening sympathetically. Peter sighed deeply, rolling his eyes at his younger sister's ever changing reactions.

"Lu, can you get her cleaned up and find her something less blood-splattered to wear? I'm going to get Caspian and Edmund to see what we need to do about this. None of us planned on what we would do if we found out someone else killed the lout," Peter said.

"Of course!" Lucy said. Peter turned to Laira, tightening his grip on her arm.

"I trust you won't try to kill my sister?" he asked dryly. Laira glared at him, her eyes cold and angry.

"Peter!" Lucy cried, astonished by her brother's question.

"Are you worried about me being left alone with her?" Laira spat. Peter shrugged.

"Lucy knows how to defend herself, probably better than half the Narnian army," he said.

"Oh, just go, Peter," Lucy said irritably as she grabbed Laira's hand and pulled her out of Peter's grip. He waited until Lucy had dragged Laira into her room and shut the door behind them. Chuckling, he turned and shook his head at the situation he now found himself in.

"Edmund's not going to like this," he muttered to himself.

Peter found Edmund and Caspian in a sitting room playing chess, Edmund looking bored as he usually was whenever he played against Caspian. Caspian had a bad habit of taking a long time before making his next move, claiming that he was "calculating his every option." Edmund and Peter both speculated that he, in fact, had no idea of what he was doing. Caspian now sat back in his chair, his hand covering his mouth and tapping his index finger against his cheek.

"Another riveting game, gentlemen?" Peter chuckled as he walked into the room. Edmund and Caspian both looked up.

"Of course; Caspian's always a worthy opponent," Edmund muttered. Caspian turned back to the game and moved one of his chessmen. Edmund looked down, cocked his head to the side, and picked up the piece he wanted to move. Placing it in front of Caspian's king, he said, "Checkmate."

"Ugh!" Caspian grunted, leaning back in his chair. Peter laughed before sitting down at the table.

"You just never learn, do you Caspian?" he asked.

"One day I'm going to beat him. Just you wait," Caspian muttered.

"Well, until then, I think I'll be going to bed," Edmund said, pushing out of his chair.

"Ed," Peter said, standing as his brother reached the door. Edmund turned, a wary look in his eye. Peter caught the look and understood the stress his brother was under from being in Tashbaan and looking for the man who had attempted to kidnap and kill Georgie. Not wanting to burden him any further just yet, he shook his head. "Never mind," Peter said. Edmund raised an eyebrow at his brother.

"Goodnight," Edmund said slowly before turning to leave. When the door shut behind him, Peter sat back down and sighed.

"What's wrong?" Caspian asked.

"Brin's been found," Peter said.

"What?" Caspian exclaimed, sitting up in his chair.

"He's dead," Peter replied.

"Dead? How do you know? Did one of the guards..." Caspian trailed off as Peter shook his head.

"Princess Laira of Archenland came to my room just before I came in here," Peter began.

"Princess Laira? Why is she here?" Caspian asked.

"If you'd let me finish, man!" Peter said irritably. "She came to my room frantic and wanting help, covered in blood and claiming she had killed her husband, who just happens to be Lord Brin," Peter explained.

"I don't believe this!" Caspian yelled, pounding his fist on the table.

"Caspian, calm down. It saves us from having to hunt him down and kill him ourselves," Peter said dryly.

"That isn't the point, Peter. Now we have an even touchier situation to deal with. Bring Princess Laira here for questioning," Caspian demanded. Peter raised his eyebrows at him. "Peter, I mean no disrespect, but we can't take this lightly," Caspian said more calmly.

"Alright," Peter said reluctantly, standing to leave.

"Peter, she's a murderer," Caspian said when Peter reached the door. Peter turned, his brow furrowed as he stared at Caspian.

"Aren't we all?" he asked quietly before walking out the door.

* * *

"Princess Laira, are you alright?" Lucy asked as they walked further into Lucy's large bedchamber.

"No, Your Majesty. I've killed someone. How could I be alright?" Laira asked politely, her voice edged with anger. Lucy turned to the princess, surprised at her tone.

"I meant physically. Are you hurt? Is anything broken or cut?" Lucy asked curtly.

"I'm sorry, your majesty. No, nothing is hurt," Laira answered, her voice softening. Lucy gave her a small smile before motioning to a basin and pitcher of water.

"Go ahead and wash up. I'll find you something clean to wear," she instructed. Laira nodded and moved to the basin, pouring some water into it from the pitcher and washing her face and hands. "This looks like it should fit you. We're about the same size," Lucy said holding up a soft yellow dress. Laira turned, wiping her face with a small towel.

"It's lovely," she said, smiling at the dress.

"Here, go try it on. There's a screen just over there where you can change. I've put everything you'll need behind it," Lucy said, handing Laira the dress and ushering her behind the screen.

"Queen Lucy, I want to thank you for helping me," Laira called from behind the screen several moments later.

"Please, think nothing of it Princess Laira," Lucy replied as she bundled Laira's soiled dress. A loud knock sounded on the door, the sharp noise startling Lucy.

"Lu? Open up," Peter called from behind the door. She walked over and opened the door.

"Where is she?" Peter asked as he stepped into the room.

"She's behind the screen changing. What's wrong?" Lucy asked.

"Caspian and I want to talk to her," Peter replied as he sat in a wing chair next to Lucy's bed.

"Queen Lucy, this dress is really perfect. I don't believe I've worn anything this nice since..." Laira said as she stepped out from behind the screen, trailing off when she saw Peter. He hastily stood, his eyes widening at the sight of Laira.

"Well, that looks much better than a blood stained dress, if I do say so," Lucy said cheerfully as she examined Laira's new look.

"Yes, you do look very nice," Peter said politely.

"Thank you, your majesty," Laira replied.

"We would like to talk to you. If you'll follow me," he instructed, turning to leave the room. Laira looked frantically at Lucy.

"Don't worry. I'll come with you," she promised Laira, squeezing her hand reassuringly.

"Thank you," Laira whispered.

The two women followed Peter down the hall to the sitting room where Caspian was waiting. When they entered the room, Caspian stood at the table where he had earlier sat, glowering at the three as they walked in. Laira shrank back under the king's dark stare. Peter noticed her hesitating in the door and glared at Caspian.

"Stop it," he said to Caspian as he grasped Laira's hand and pulled her inside the room, shutting the door behind them.

"Princess Laira, I don't believe we've met. I'm King Caspian," Caspian said, nodding to the trembling woman next to Peter.

"Your majesty," Laira said nervously, dropping into a deep curtsey.

"Please sit," he instructed, holding out a chair for her. Laira did as he said, moving slowly to the chair and sitting. Caspian sat opposite of her and motioned for Lucy and Peter to join them. Lucy sat as Peter slightly shook his head and remained standing. Caspian sighed and turned his focus to the princess. "Princess Laira, High King Peter tells me that you have confessed to the murder of Lord Brin, your husband. Is this correct?" Caspian asked. Laira nodded quickly, her eyes downcast. "Can you not speak?" Caspian asked.

Laira looked up, a determined look passing her face as she answered, "Yes, I can, your majesty. I did murder my husband, although I must say that it was in self defense." Caspian raised his eyebrows and looked at Peter. Peter shrugged and said, "I haven't heard the story yet. I suppose we should get that from her first before convicting her of a crime."

"Yes, tell us what happened," Lucy said gently, reaching over and squeezing Laira's hand encouragingly. Laira stared at the table for several long minutes, worry marring her face, before taking a deep breath and beginning.

"Well, you know Brin and I were secretly married. It happened while High King Peter and his sister Queen Susan were visiting us at Anvard. Brin was so charming and handsome and Father was determined to have me marry King Peter. I couldn't bear the thought!" she exclaimed quickly before blushing, remembering that Peter was listening to her story.

"Yes, I can see how the thought of marrying me is so dreadful compared to Brin," he said sarcastically, chuckling slightly. He had felt the same all those years ago, the idea of being stuck with Laira as his wife was unspeakable.

"I apologize, your majesty. I only meant that I didn't like the idea of being forced into a marriage, especially to someone I knew did not like me," Laira said, her cheeks continuing to flush.

"Please continue," Caspian said, annoyed that the subject had gotten of topic.

"My husband managed to convince me that he had attempted to have King Peter and Queen Susan killed for me because he thought the king was trying to steal me away and force me to marry him. I don't know if that's true or not, but I believed him at the time. When Father had him thrown in prison, I went to visit him and he convinced me to help him escape. We fled Anvard and came to Calormen. I hated it here and cried every night for the first year that we hid here. Brin tried to console me at first, but later began ignoring me and leaving me alone. It wasn't long before he adopted the Calormene custom of having many wives or visiting... other women," Laira said, stopping for a moment. Her eyes began to fill with tears and she struggled to keep from crying as she continued.

"I forced myself to stop caring, focusing on getting through each day. We barely spoke. It wasn't until I heard that he had tried to kidnap Lady Georgiana that I fully realized what a monster he was. I confronted him, which was a mistake, and we fought. He told me that he had only married me so that he could murder my parents and take over Archenland. I lost my temper and hit him. He retaliated, as usual, and knocked me to the floor. I was so angry; I don't think I've ever been so angry. I jumped up and saw his sword laying on the table. I reached for it; he taunted me, telling me I was weak and that I would always be. I stabbed him with it, it slid in easier than I thought," Laira said, lowering her head as a tear fell.

"Oh my," Lucy whispered as she clasped Laira's hand tighter. The four were silent for a long while before Caspian spoke.

"I suppose we'll tell the Tisroc and Rishdamar first thing in the morning. There's nothing to be done now about Lord Brin if he's already dead. And then I suppose we'll have to take the princess back to her father; King Sol can deal with her from there," he said gravely. Laira looked tearfully at Lucy, who gave her a weak smile.

"Peter, you haven't said anything. What do you think?" Lucy asked her brother. Peter sighed and thought before he spoke.

"I think right now it's entirely too late to do anything but go to bed. As Caspian said, we'll discuss this with the Tisroc in the morning. Or in a few hours, I suppose," said.

"What do we do with her until then?" Caspian asked, motioning towards Laira.

"Well, I don't want to leave her alone. I would suggest leaving her with Lucy, but I hardly think that would be a good idea," Peter said.

"Why not?" Lucy asked, surprised at her brother.

"Because knowing you, the two of you would become best friends before morning and it would not only make it difficult to be objective when deciding what to do with Laira but would also annoy me," Peter said exasperated. Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Laira can sleep in my room tonight. I'll stand watch to make sure she doesn't escape," Peter decided.

"Your majesty, with all due respect, where exactly am I going to escape to?" Laira asked, speaking up for the first time since she had ended her story.

"Princess, I don't suggest you tempt the High King's temper," Caspian warned.

"Come on," Peter said, placing a hand under Laira's arm as he pulled her up.

When they had left the sitting room Laira jerked her arm from Peter's. "I can walk myself," she said haughtily. Peter grabbed her arm again, squeezing it slightly as he leaned down and said menacingly, "Caspian warned you not to tempt my temper, Princess." Laira's eyes widened. Peter saw a mixture of anger and fear in them and sighed. He loosened his grip on her arm, but only slightly, and continued to walk her to his room. Laira struggled to pull herself away from him, only earning her a tightened grip from Peter's hand around her arm.

"You're not going to make tonight easy for me, are you?" he asked as he opened the door for her. Laira shot him a hard look and replied, "I wouldn't count on it, your majesty."


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Yes, I know I told you I wasn't going to do many of these, but someone asked me how to pronounce Laira's name and I thought others may be wondering as well. It's pronounced "Lay-rah." (or, I guess you could say like lair (like an evil person's lair) and then add an "a") When coming up with the royal family of Archenland in Choosing Grace, I had a lot of trouble... King Lune was the king there during the Golden Age when the Pevensies were first in Narnia, so I used that as a guide. "Lune" is French for "Moon," so for the current king, King Sol, I used the Spanish word for "sun," which is "sol" (I wanted to stick with French, but soleil (French for Sun) really would be a stupid name for a king). His wife's name, Clair, comes from the French phrase for "moonlight" (clair de lune, haha). So for Laira's name, I wanted to stick with the same theme... moon, sun, moonlight... Her name comes from the French word for "air" - l'air. Add an "a" and you get Laira! I also feel like an update fiend! **

Peter propped his feet on the corner of his bed and leaned back in the plush chair he had pulled across the bedroom. Laira was lying on his bed on top of the covers, her hands primly folded over her stomach. _She looks like a corpse,_ he thought as he glanced at her quickly. He had just closed his eyes when Laira asked, "Does King Caspian hate me?" Peter opened one eye and looked at her, noting that she was still in the same position.

"I don't know. I didn't ask him his opinion," Peter said dryly. Laira was silent for several moments making Peter believe that would be the end of her questions.

"I've killed someone. How could he not hate me? How could anyone not hate me? How could I have done that? I never meant to, it just happened..." Laira trailed off, her words beginning to sound hysterical. She reminded Peter of Georgie and how she had reacted when she had stabbed one of the men Lord Brin had sent to kidnap her. He felt his resolve weaken towards her, a strange sense to comfort her overtaking him.

"Princess Laira, you were defending yourself from a cruel man. He could have easily killed you and continued to hurt my family. Caspian may not understand it quite as well, but he sometimes has problems seeing the gray areas of life. I, however, understand perfectly and am grateful that you ended his life," Peter said. Laira turned her head towards Peter, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

"How could I have been so stupid and loved such a dreadful man?" she asked quietly.

"You'll find that mistakes like that happen to even the best of us," Peter replied as he turned his head away from Laira.

"You've loved a dreadful man, your majesty?" Laira asked confusedly. Peter's head shot back to her, his eyes narrowing. He visibly relaxed when he caught her slight grin, his face melting into one of his own.

"Funny," he said sarcastically. "I was referring to my sister, Susan. When we were here before, back during what's now referred to as the Golden Age, she fell in love with the prince of Calormen." Laira gasped. "I imagine you understand better than most why that wasn't an ideal match. Susan never told me what happened between them - I suspect she never will either - but he turned out to be, as you put it , a dreadful man. Everyone makes mistakes with who they love sometimes; it's just what you do afterwards that matters," Peter said.

"You speak as if you've made mistakes with love yourself," Laira pointed out. Peter sighed and placed his hands behind his head.

"I don't know. Passing up some things that maybe I should have taken a chance with. But maybe my biggest mistake was waiting to get married after King Caspian and my brother. Looks kind of silly for the High King to be the last one married," Peter said lightly.

"I had not heard King Edmund was married," Laira said. Peter shook his head.

"He's not. Close enough though. I imagine he and Georgiana will be engaged before the month is out," he said.

"That's nice," Laira whispered, turning her head back to stare at the ceiling. The two were silent for a while, Peter finally concluding that Laira must have fallen asleep. He closed his eyes again, finally relieved to get some sleep. "King Peter?" Laira quietly asked. Peter sighed and reluctantly replied, "Yes?"

"Do you hate me?" she asked. Exhaling deeply, he said, "No, I don't hate you. I hate what you've done, yes, but I can't say that I would have done anything differently had I been in your shoes. Just a warning though, Princess: if you continue talking, I really may hate you in a few hours when we have to be up to meet with the Tisroc." Laira giggled quietly, the sound of it making Peter smile slightly.

"I'm sorry, your majesty. Goodnight," she said.

"Goodnight," he replied, closing his eyes again.

* * *

Lucy turned from the door her brother and Laira had walked through to glare at Caspian. "Did you have to be so hard on her?" she asked.

"The woman's a murder, Lucy! She killed her husband," Caspian replied.

"Her husband who was awful to her, beating her and going to other women in front of her face! How can you ignore those facts and judge her so harshly? She had loved her husband and wanted to be with him, despite everything. What if it had been your wife who had been in that position?" Lucy asked, her voice raising as her anger grew. Caspian's eyes narrowed.

"My wife wouldn't have run off with someone she hardly knew and gotten married like the princess did!" he yelled. Lucy cocked her eyebrow and asked, "Oh, wouldn't she? It seems to me she decided to hop ship with a dark-haired stranger and never looked back."

Caspian huffed and said, "That was different."

"Of course it was," Lucy said gently. "But what if it wasn't? What if she had been charmed by someone else, someone cruel like Lord Brin? Would you have held it against her then?"

"I hardly can compare my wife to that princess. My wife doesn't have a mean bone in her body. From what Peter and Susan had told me of Princess Laira, she was a spoiled, self-centered brat of a girl," Caspian said.

"Oh, Caspian, you saw her; she's hardly a girl anymore," Lucy said.

"Look, Lucy, I know you've developed a soft spot for the woman..." Caspian trailed off as Lucy's look darkened.

"I don't have a soft spot for her. I like her. She's not a murderous woman, she just killed someone. I've killed; do you consider me a murderous woman? No, you don't, because I'm a good woman, just like Laira is. And I've seen the agony she must have gone through. On Susan," Lucy explained, her voice hardening as she remembered how her sister had acted after returning from Calormen. Caspian was silent for several moments, digesting what Lucy had said.

"Alright, I'll try to keep an open mind," he finally agreed.

"That's all I ask, Caspian," Lucy said. She walked to the door to leave, pausing when Caspian asked, "Are you going to bed?" Lucy shook her head.

"I'm going to speak to Edmund," she replied.

Lucy walked the hall to Edmund's bedchamber, stifling a yawn as she went. _When all this is over I'm going to sleep for a day, _she thought. She knocked lightly on Edmund's door when she reached it; when there was no answer, she knocked a little louder.

"This must be why Peter pounds on our door whenever he knocks," she muttered, raising her fist to bang against the door.

"If you knock one more time I'm cutting your hand off," Edmund groggily called from behind the door. It opened slowly, Edmund appearing behind it pulling a tunic over his head. "Lucy, what do you want? It's the middle of the night," he asked.

"Something's happened," she began. Edmund suddenly became alert and asked, "Is it G? Is she okay? Does she need me?" Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Not everything is about Georgiana, you know," she pointed out.

"Then what is it that's so important that you felt the need to wake me in the middle of the night?" Edmund asked impatiently.

"It's actually very early morning, but that's no matter. Something's come up. We found Lord Brin," she explained.

"What? Where is he?" Edmund asked, grasping his sister's arm.

"It's a little complicated," Lucy said.

"Go get Peter and Caspian. Tell them I want to see them both in exactly 20 minutes. I'll go wake G," Edmund said.

"Edmund, I-" Lucy began.

"Don't argue with me, Lucy. Go, now!" he demanded as he walked towards Georgie's bedroom. Lucy stood frozen in place. Peter was going to be very angry at her for not waiting for him or morning to tell Edmund about Lord Brin. Sighing, Lucy turned to walk to her oldest brother's bedchamber.

"This isn't going to be good," she muttered.

* * *

Laira sat up when she heard a knock on the door. She glanced over at Peter, smiling slightly when she saw he was asleep. She quietly scooted off the large bed and and walked to the door. Opening it a crack, she saw Lucy standing behind it.

"Princess Laira! Why are you opening my brother's door?" Lucy asked.

"King Peter is asleep. I-I didn't want to wake him," Laira whispered.

"Oh, would you mind?" Lucy asked, peering in the room. Laira glanced at the young queen nervously before nodding. She walked to where Peter slept in his chair and slowly reached to shake his shoulder. Her hand had just reached him when Peter's hand shot up and grasped her wrist tightly. Laira gasped.

"What are you doing?" Peter asked quietly, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Your sister asked me to wake you," Laira said, pulling against Peter's iron grip. He glanced around her and saw his sister standing in his room, a shocked look on her face. He returned his attention to Laira, silently laughing at her struggles.

"Stop that," he said, grabbing her other wrist. Laira stilled, her eyes widening. "I don't want you to fall backwards," Peter whispered as he released her wrists. "What is it Lucy?" he asked, lowering his legs from the bed and standing.

"I told Edmund we found Lord Brin," Lucy said quietly.

"You what?" Peter yelled, making both women jump.

"I didn't tell him he was dead, just that we found him. I didn't think it would be a problem!" Lucy cried.

"Lucy..." Peter sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"He wants to see you and Caspian in 20 minutes. He went to get Georgiana," Lucy said.

"Alright..." Peter sighed.

"I suppose we should get the Tisroc?" Lucy asked. Laira gasped causing Lucy and Peter both turned towards her.

"You're going to tell him?" she whispered, fear apparent in her voice.

"Princess Laira, the Tisroc knows why we're here. It may look suspicious if we suddenly leave without Lord Brin and with his wife," Peter explained, hoping his voice sounded gentler than he felt it did.

"I see," she whispered, sitting in the chair.

"Should I go get the Tisroc?" Lucy asked helpfully. Peter turned back to his younger sister giving her an incredulous look.

"No, of course not! No queen of Narnia is going to go walking around the Tisroc's private quarters at night," he said.

"Oh, right," Lucy said, slightly embarrassed.

"Stay here with the princess. I'll go find a guard to get the Tisroc and Rishdamar. We'll meet in the chamber where we met with them earlier today," Peter said. Peter opened the bedroom door and saw Prince Rishdamar and two guards standing outside his room. "Prince Rishdamar, I was just coming to find you," Peter said, surprised by the prince's appearance.

"I'm glad to have saved you the search, O King," Rishdamar said. "Lord Brin was found dead in his house, stabbed by his own sword." Peter took a deep breath and glanced back into his room where Laira sat. Lucy had moved to stand next to her, stroking her hair in a comforting gesture. Peter noticed the unshed tears in Laira's eyes.

He turned back to Rishdamar and said, "I know."

Peter, Lucy and Laira followed Prince Rishdamar to the meeting chamber. Laira trembled in fear as Lucy continued to try to comfort her. Peter walked behind the two women, wishing he could do or say something ease Laira's fears. This situation was, as Caspian had put it, touchier than anything they had handled. Calormene law dictated that if a wife kills her husband, regardless of cause, the punishment was death. In the attempt to keep peace with Calormen, Peter could hardly ignore the country's laws; doing so would surely anger the Tisroc and could possibly lead to war.

However, both Narnia's and its monarchs' ties to Archenland and King Sol and Queen Claire would surely be destroyed if Peter allowed their only daughter, and heir to the Archenland throne, to be put to death, especially when her crime was killing a wanted felon. And, as much as he disliked admitting it, he had become fond of the princess over the past few hours, realizing that she might not be quite the brat of a girl he once thought her.

They reached the meeting chamber seconds later; a guard standing outside the room pushed open the door as they approached. When they stepped inside Caspian and the Tisroc were already there, appearing to be in a serious discussion.

"High King, we've been expecting you. I see you've brought the Princess Laira with you," the Tisroc sneered.

"Do you not bow before the Tisroc?" Prince Rishdamar spat at Laira, grasping her arm. Peter's arm shot out and clasped Rishdamar's hand, yanking it off of Laira's arm.

"Careful Prince," he warned, his voice low and menacing.

"O my son, calm yourself. I have no care if a murderous girl does not bow before me. She will be handled soon enough," the Tisroc said, sounding bored.

"We have not decided anything yet, Tisroc," Caspian warned. The Tisroc gave Caspian a tight smile and nodded.

"Of course, King Caspian," he muttered as he turned back to Laira, eyeing her watchfully.

"Laira, come sit," Peter said softly as he placed his hand on the small of her back, leading her to a chair at the long table. Lucy followed and took the seat next to Laira's. Peter and Caspian both stood behind her; Peter's hand stayed close to his belt where a small dagger hung, just in case. He glanced at Caspian and noticed his similar stance. _For someone who was so quick to convict her, he looks ready to defend her if needed,_ he thought.

His eyes fell on Laira and his sister and noticed Lucy continued to try to comfort Laira, patting her hand and whispering to her. From where he stood he could see Laira still trembled and he longed to assure her that she would be alright, even if he didn't know if that was true. He glanced up at hearing the door to the chamber open. Edmund walked in, his arm around Georgie. Her face was grave, going pale as she walked in the room.

"Ed, finally," Peter said quietly.

"Where's Brin?" Edmund asked. Peter opened his mouth to speak but stopped when Georgie exclaimed, "Princess Laira!" His head swerved to where Laira sat and saw her head was no longer lowered but was looking up.

"Lady Georgiana," Laira said, her voice growing colder.

"It's Princess Georgiana," Caspian said sharply.

"My apologies, Princess," Laira said, nodding towards Georgie.

"It's alright," Georgie said, her voice sounding unsure.

"Where's Brin?" Edmund asked again, his voice louder this time.

"He's dead, O King," Prince Rishdamar spoke up. Edmund spun to look at the prince, his face growing angry.

"What?" he yelled.

"He's dead!" Laira choked, jumping out of her chair, nearly knocking it backwards. Peter stepped forward as Edmund turned back to look at the princess, his eyes widening at her reaction.

"Sit down!" Caspian said firmly, stepping forward also and placing his hand on Laira's shoulder. Laira sat slowly, Lucy grabbing her hand again.

"What happened?" Edmund asked slowly, his voice low and steady.

"I killed him," Laira said, her voice void of emotion.

"You what?" Edmund bellowed angrily. Peter's brow furrowed and he held up his hand.

"Ed," he said warningly.

"What?" Edmund asked confused. Peter shook his head slightly at his brother. He knew if Edmund's temper got out of hand, it would do nothing but escalate the problems they were already facing. Peter noticed Georgie whisper something to Edmund, placing her hand on his arm and giving him a pleading look. She moved towards the table and sat next to Laira.

"What did he do to you?" she asked. Laira looked up; from where Peter stood he saw tears in her eyes. With a shaky voice she began, "In Archenland when we marry, it's for life. There's one person you stay with, you love. I married Brin because I thought he loved me. When he was exiled, I followed him because of his supposed love. But here things are different. Here men have many wives or women, not just one. I've been pushed aside for so many others. When I heard of what he did, when he tried to kidnap you and make you his, I found I couldn't take it anymore. I confronted him last night, ordering him to stop. Begging him to love me. He told me he never did. He just wanted my father's throne. He explained his intentions to have my father murdered once I had conceived and our marriage was brought out into the light. I became so angry, I hit him, which caused him to become angry. He has such a temper! He hit me, knocking me to the floor, but I was so angry I felt blinded by rage. I reached for his sword laying on the table and ran it through him. I don't know how to explain why, but I felt so much better after. I finally felt free from him." The tears she had been holding back for hours finally began pouring down her face, making no attempt to wipe them away.

"We do not take lightly to wives killing their husbands here, no matter the situation," the Tisroc said.

Laira's head shot up, fear and shock coming over her face as his words set in. Seeing Laira's face pushed Peter's control over the top. He knew he could not let the Tisroc have her, no matter what the consequences of going against Calormene law. _I am High King of Narnia, after all,_ he thought decidedly.

He stepped forward, placing his hand on the back of Laira's chair, and said in a firm, clear voice, "There will be no repercussions from this situation. Princess Laira is still the rightful heir to Archenland and will be returned to her parents under the safety of the High King of Narnia." Lucy and Georgie both turned to stare at Peter with widened eyes. Peter could feel Laira's tension disappear as she leaned against her chair, his fingers grazing the top of her back. Prince Rishdamar sniffed loudly, a sound that annoyed Peter to no end.

"So be it, O High King," the Tisroc said, his voice hard. "In order to retain the peace, we will allow you to take this murderous woman away."


	4. Chapter 4

A slave led Peter and Laira to a bedchamber that had been prepared for the princess after their meeting with the Tisroc had ended. Laira had been silent since that meeting; Peter worried what was on her mind, but felt out of turn asking, thinking he might already know. When they reached the bedchamber, the slave opened the door and bowed deeply.

"Your room, O Princess," he said.

"Thank you. That will be all," Peter said, dismissing the slave. The slave bowed again and left, keeping his head bowed as he walked away.

"As many years as I've lived here, I've never gotten used to the slaves," Laira said quietly as she stepped towards the door. Peter placed a hand on her arm, stopping her.

"You'll be okay?" he asked. Laira looked up at him and nodded. An awkward moment of silence passed between them. Peter ran his hand through his hair nervously, knocking his crown off center. Inwardly rolling his eyes at his behavior, he reached up to straighten it. Laira kept a serene look on her face, never once changing as she watched him, but he swore her eyes laughed at him.

"Well, uh, I suppose then, goodnight," Peter stuttered, nodding to her.

"Goodnight, your majesty," Laira said, stepping through the door and shutting it behind her. Peter stared at the closed door for several seconds before turning to leave when a soft sound caught his attention. Turning back to the door, he listened closer. The sound he heard was crying. He quickly reached for the doorknob, ready to rush to ask Laira what was wrong and offer her comfort. Just as he turned the knob, he stopped, astonished at his rash behavior.

"What are you doing?" he muttered to himself.

"Yes, what are you doing?" a voice asked behind him. He let go of the handle and turned to see Lucy standing behind him, a bundle of clothes in her arms.

"I was just- I thought I heard..." Peter trailed off, not wanting to admit to his sister that he had wanted to go to Laira and hold her in his arms, comforting her as he knew only he could. Lucy turned an ear to the door, hearing the soft crying from behind it.

"Peter, there's nothing you can do. You're terrible at comforting others. You get either too angry or too protective or try to make jokes - which are terrible by the way; you really need to stop - and usually only make the situation worse. Remember when I got bitten by that dog? You tried to cheer me up by telling me that at least I didn't get a disease from it," Lucy said.

"Lu, I was ten. What do you expect?" Peter groaned, hating that his sister was right about his lack of comforting skills.

Whenever either of his sisters had gotten into a scrape or was upset, his first instinct was to either fix their situation instantly or rush to find whoever had hurt them with the sole intention of hurting that person in return. Or, as Lucy pointed out, he tried to make a joke out of it hoping it would cheer them. The last time he tried that was when Susan had received the letter from Caspian telling her that he was engaged; his joke about being glad Caspian wouldn't be his brother-in-law had only made Susan even more upset.

_I really have never forgiven Caspian for that, either. I wish I had just punched him in the face_, Peter thought, smiling slightly over the satisfaction it would have given him. Lucy snapped her fingers in front of Peter's face.

"Peter, focus. Let me handle Laira. You've done your part and gotten her out of being executed. You going in there and trying to make her feel better will most likely only make her feel worse," Lucy said as she turned the handle to the bedroom door. When she had closed the door behind her, Peter sighed and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes. _What a mess_, he thought.

* * *

Laira shut her bedroom door and leaned upon it. When Peter had declared that she would be returned to her home under his protection, a weight had lifted from her chest making her feel pounds lighter. After that initial relief had set in, however, other worries that she had not thought of for years came flooding back.

Her parents had only been blessed with one child, making Laira the sole heir to the Archenland throne. She had always relished the thought of being queen one day, working hard as a girl to make her parents proud so they would be happy to have her ascend the throne once they were gone. She had met Lord Brin when she was seventeen, nearly eighteen. He had been handsome and charming, the type of man any girl would want. Her friends had all been jealous that he had showed her preference, dancing with her as much as allowed at parties and balls.

King Sol, her father, had disregarded the man, claiming him to be just another suitor who he'd never approve of. He had pressed Laira to consider the High King of Narnia, stating that the match would not only give her a proper husband but bind the two countries together. Laira had met King Peter years before and had instantly disliked him. She thought him arrogant and rude and avoided him throughout the entire visit from Narnia's monarchs, hoping he would dislike her just as much.

Laira continued to allow Lord Brin to court her secretly, sneaking out of her room at night to meet him in the gardens or woods. He would read her poetry and talk of her beauty, charming her like no man ever had before. She fell in love with him, or what had felt like love, knowing that she would follow him anywhere. He had proposed to her one night, much to her happiness, and they snuck off together several nights later and were married in secret.

It wasn't until months later when they finally shared their wedding night in Calormen that Laira saw Brin's true form, a selfish, cruel man who cared little for her happiness. She had continued to love him though, hoping that she could make herself into the woman he wanted. As the years had passed he became increasingly distant, coming home at odd hours of the night, smelling of a different perfume nearly every night. She finally shut down, accepting that her husband did not care for her and realizing that she no longer cared for him.

Tears began rolling down her face as she thought about how much of a disappointment she had become. Her people, the Archenlanders, would never accept such a foolish woman for their queen; her parents would certainly disown her, claiming her to not be worthy enough to be their daughter. _I can hardly blame any of them,_ she thought sadly.

Her whole life had been spent preparing herself for a role she wanted more than anything in life, and with both hands she had thrown it away for a man who cared nothing for her. Pushing herself away from the door, she walked to sit on her large bed, her crying becoming nearly uncontrollable now. Brin had hated when she cried, of flying into a fit of rage if he caught her. She had soon learned to hide her tears and eventually she stopped crying at all. Her tears that fell now were five years of pent up anger, grief and despair, overwhelming her as she struggled to catch her breath.

From outside her bedroom door, she heard muted voices over the sounds of her crying. Laira fought to compose herself when she saw the knob on her door turn, wiping her face quickly with the back of her hand. Lucy walked through, a bright smile on her face and carrying a bundle of clothing.

"I thought you might want these. We'll be here for several days and you can hardly go around wearing the same thing each day!" Lucy said cheerily. Laira noticed a small edge to the young queen's voice, as though she was trying hard to cover up her worry.

"Thank you, your majesty," she said softly, sniffling as she finished her tears.

"Of course. Anything you need I'll make sure you get. You're part of the Narnian guests now and under the protection of my brother. We'll take care of you," Lucy assured her. Laira gave Lucy a small smile; such kindness was foreign to her now, having spent several years in Calormen where people only had sympathy for themselves.

"I'll just let you get some rest now. I'm sure you must be exhausted," Lucy said as she walked back to the door.

"Thank you again, your majesty. I can't tell you how grateful I am to you and your brothers and King Caspian," Laira said.

"Think nothing of it. We're all happy to help you. And please," Lucy added, smiling warmly at Laira. "Please call me Lucy. It's what I like all my friends to call me. Goodnight, Laira." Laira returned her smile and said, "Goodnight, Lucy."

* * *

Moments later Lucy reappeared from the door. Peter looked up and asked, "Is everything alright?" Lucy nodded.

"She's just really upset now. I think she's overwhelmed with everything that's happened and hasn't yet had a good cry about it. She'll be fine once she's slept," she explained.

"I think that could go for all of us. I'm exhausted," Peter said as he pushed off the wall.

"That makes two of us," Lucy agreed.

"Come on, then. I'll walk you back to your room," Peter said.

"I don't need you-" Lucy started, cutting herself off when she caught Peter's dark stare. He had warned her several times that she shouldn't wander the Tisroc's palace alone, especially at night. Sighing, she said, "Alright, alright. Let's go." Peter glanced back at Laira's room.

"Are you sure she's going to be alright?" he asked worriedly. Lucy shot him a curious look.

"What's with you? Not five hours ago you acted like you grossly disliked her and now, all of a sudden, you're her white knight? Did something happen and I missed it?" Lucy asked.

"Lu, stop imagining things; I never disliked her and I'm not acting like a white knight. She's the daughter of one of our family's closest friends and ally and she is a woman who is in need of our help. Yes, I like her a little more than I did when she first appeared, but that's only because I've found she hasn't annoyed me as much now as she did when I first met her," Peter said firmly.

"Right. She annoys you less. That makes sense," Lucy said, a tiny bit of sarcasm in her voice.

"Lucy, when exactly did you become this annoyingly perceptive?" Peter asked, irritated that his sister saw straight through his reasoning.

"Probably around the time you started to develop feelings for Laira," Lucy sweetly replied, skipping towards her room. Peter stood in the middle of the hall, a mask of shock on his face as he stared after his sister.

"I don't have feelings for her!" he called after his sister, who turned around when she reached her door.

"Right. No feelings. Goodnight!" she called back, smirking at her brother as she disappeared behind the door.

* * *

Laira woke with a start from a tapping on her door. After taking a second to realize where she was, she jumped out of her bed and hurried to the door, opening it to reveal Georgie.

"Good evening, Princess Laira," she said warmly. "I don't mean to wake you, but we're getting ready to go to dinner and thought you might want to join us. If you're not ready to get up, though, I can have a plate of food sent up here."

"No, I'd like to come down. I'll just be a moment," Laira said brightly.

"Wonderful! Edmund and I will wait for you just out here. Take as long as you need," Georgie said.

"Thank you. And Princess Georgiana, I apologize for how I spoke to you earlier today and for how I treated you all those years ago," Laira said. Georgie shook her head.

"Please, don't worry about it. It's all water under the bridge," Georgie said, giving Laira a friendly smile as she stepped out of her room.

Laira quickly changed into one of the dresses Lucy had brought her and washed her face. Deciding there wasn't enough time to do anything particularly fancy with her hair she pulled it back from her face and tied it with a ribbon. As she stared at her reflection she sighed over her appearance.

While she had been grateful for time helping her features – her once pointy nose had always been the bane of her existence – she hated what Calormen had done to her. Her skin, which had always been rosy and pale, was now weather-worn and tan, making her nearly as dark as the Calormenes. Her biggest annoyance was her hair; she loved that it had darkened over the years, but hated that she had cut it short in an attempt to style it like the Tarkheenas did. It now hung limp and style-less, unable to hold up to the steamy heat.

"As always, this is as good as it's going to get," she muttered to herself as she tucked a stray lock behind her ear and headed out of her room.

As the three walked to the large dining hall, Laira found that Georgie and Edmund were easy to talk to and instantly liked them both. Edmund turned out to be much more friendly than she had first thought, his joking and teasing making her laugh easily. Georgie warmed up to Laira quickly and they both chatted like old friends.

Laira noticed how well the couple interacted with each other, as if their relationship was a carefully choreographed dance; they seemed to be perfect halves of a whole, complimenting each other wonderfully. Laira was instantly caught up in their magic, all doubts she had of love vanishing completely.

"What do you think?" Georgie asked.

"I'm sorry, what?" Laira asked, the question pulling her out of her thoughts.

"What do you think about going exploring tomorrow? We haven't seen much of Tashbaan since we've been here; I'd love to see it before we go," Georgie said.

"G, the princess has lived here for years. I'm sure she doesn't want to explore a city she already knows," Edmund teased.

"No, I think that sounds wonderful, your majesty. I have lived in Calormen for years, but not in Tashbaan. I think I would like to see it as well," Laira said.

"Wonderful! I told you she would want to," Georgie said, smirking at Edmund.

"Yes, you were right. I'll have to buy you a prize for your astonishing triumph," Edmund said sarcastically, earning him an elbow in the side from Georgie. Laira laughed at the couple; she felt she had laughed more in the few minutes of their walk than she had since she was younger.

When they reached the dining hall, Laira saw that Peter and Lucy were already seated, whispering to each other. The Tisroc and his many sons and daughters were also seated at their long table, Prince Rishdamar sitting closest to his father. Laira caught his sneer as she walked in and quickly looked away. Glancing towards Peter and Lucy, she saw they had both looked up, Lucy smiling at her and Peter scowling towards Rishdamar.

"Is something wrong with King Peter?" Laira whispered to Georgie. She looked at Peter and snorted.

"Who knows? Peter's always angry about something," Georgie replied.

"He's probably calculating how much trouble we would be in if he went over and skewered Rishdamar. I'm actually calculating if I can beat him to it," Edmund whispered, leaning down towards the women.

"Why?" Laira gasped. Edmund shrugged.

"He's giving you a look I don't like. I imagine Peter feels the same," he simply said. Laira saw Georgie roll her eyes. Edmund led the two to the table, helping them into their seats before taking his own on the other side of Peter.

* * *

Peter sat in one of the Tisroc's palace's gardens on an ornately carved stone bench. A bubbling fountain happily gurgled in the center of it as the warm wind blew against his face. He had tried coming outside to read one of the books he had found in the large library, but the heat had made it hard for him to concentrate and it now sat opened in his lap.

His mind wandered to the sleeping princess who was several stories above him. He wondered how her parents would react when they brought her home and whether her country would accept such a foolish woman as their future queen. _I know I wouldn't_, he thought gravely. _Although, with that face, I might be tempted to._

Peter smirked to himself. In the little time he had spent with Laira, he had found her intriguing, as though there was an aura of mystery surrounding her, one he longed to solve. Rolling his eyes at himself and his ridiculous thoughts, he slammed his book shut and stood. Squinting against the bright setting sun, he saw a woman running towards him.

"Peter!" Lucy called.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked when his sister reached him.

"I need a favor. I want to go shopping," she said excitedly. Peter rolled his eyes and muttered, "Of course you do."

"I need money," she said. Peter sighed exasperatedly.

"Don't you have any of your own?" he asked.

"Well… I already spent what I brought," Lucy said slowly, giving her brother an angelic face. Sighing again, he shook his head and said, "Aslan help whoever you marry."

"So I can have some?" Lucy asked hopefully.

"No," Peter said. Lucy gave him a noise of frustration and sighed.

"What were you doing out here? Reading?" she asked, noticing the large book he carried. Peter shrugged sheepishly.

"I was trying, but it's just so hot! I couldn't concentrate," he said.

"Could it be that a certain princess is also on your mind?" Lucy asked teasingly.

"If she is, it's only because I don't know what to do with her. I don't like the idea of just tossing her back to Archenland; her parents will be forgiving, but I'm worried about how the rest of the country will treat her," Peter said.

"Why don't we invite her to come with us to Narnia for a visit? If others think we've forgiven her and accept her, they'll easily do the same," Lucy suggested.

"Lucy, we have forgiven her and accepted her," Peter said quietly.

"Oh, I know that. But if we show everyone that we have, they'll know she's not bad," Lucy said, brushing Peter's comment aside.

"That might work," Peter said slowly.

"Of course it will. You should write to King Sol today and let him know. By the time he gets your letter and has time to reply, we'll already be back at Cair Paravel," Lucy said cheerfully.

"You've already thought all this out, haven't you?" Peter asked curiously.

"I believe it's nearly time for dinner. Shall we go inside?" Lucy asked lightly, ignoring her brother's question.

"Yes, I suppose we will," Peter said, annoyed with his sister's antics. They had increasingly gotten out of hand lately and it bothered him even more that he no longer could do anything about it as he could when she was younger.

After changing from his sweaty clothes and dropping off his book in his room he and Lucy made their way to the large dining room for dinner. The Tisroc, in an attempt to impress the Narnians, insisted on holding a large feast each night, complete with entertainment and an impressive amount of food. The two siblings walked into the room and took their seats at the far right side of the tables.

The tables had been arranged to surround the center of the floor, allowing for the entertainment to perform for the Tisroc and his family and guests. The Narnians' table was to the right hand side of the Tisroc, who sat in the very center. Peter, as High King, sat in the tallest of the six chairs that were set at their table, his siblings, Caspian and Georgie sitting on either side of him. After nodding to the Tisroc, Lucy and Peter both sat and waited for Edmund, Georgie and Caspian to arrive.

"I think Edmund may finally ask Georgiana to marry him," Lucy stated.

"I agree, but we've all known that for a while. What makes you bring it up now?" Peter asked. Lucy shrugged.

"I'm just making conversation. Do you realize that if Edmund gets married, there will be four queens? Isn't that something?" she asked. Peter glared suspiciously at his sister.

"What's your point, Lu?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said innocently. Seconds passed before she asked, "Did you ever imagine all of us getting married?"

"Well, I suppose I imagined Susan getting married since she was practically engaged once. I tried to ignore the idea of you getting married, even though I knew you were as highly sought after as Susan. I still try to ignore that fact. What exactly are you getting at Lucy? Are you trying to ask me if you can get married?" Peter asked irritably.

"No, no! I'm just curious. I had always pictured you married first and now Edmund will be the first of us married. Doesn't seem quite right, don't you think?" she asked, a grin tugging on her lips.

"Lucy, you're being ridiculous," he muttered.

"No, I'm not. I just think maybe you should start considering it. You're only getting older; people may begin to talk about why your brother and Caspian are both married and you're not," she said.

"Lucy, let me make this perfectly clear: I will get married when I find someone to marry. As of right now, there are very few available women who are suitable. As High King, I can hardly go marry some girl I met for a couple hours on an island or luck out and meet a woman Aslan turned into a princess. So until someone comes along, leave it alone!" he said low, his voice becoming firmer as he spoke.

"Maybe someone has," Lucy hissed back, turning her attention to the door. Edmund, Georgie and Laira walked into the room. Peter glanced up as well, smiling slightly as when he saw Laira was laughing. His smile disappeared quickly though when he saw a look of uncertainty cross Laira's and followed her gaze across the room. He saw the sneering look Prince Rishdamar was giving her, his own face darkening into a scowl. Lucy, who had given Laira a smile, said through her teeth, "Peter, stop that. Now is not the time."

Peter looked towards his sister and forced himself to relax, silently wishing he could gut the prince, something he'd longed to do since the first time they had met. Edmund helped Georgie and Laira into their own chairs before sitting next to his brother. Leaning over he whispered,

"You can't kill him before we've had dessert." Peter glanced at his brother, an incredulous look on his face before he cracked into a smile, chuckling at how well his brother knew him. "I know the feeling, Pete. I, for one, can't wait until we get out of Tashbaan and as far away as possible from him. Every time he looks at G I want to run him through," Edmund said in a low voice.

"Maybe if you would hurry up and marry that woman other men would stop looking at her," Peter muttered back.

"Maybe if you would mind your own business, you might make it out of dinner without me knocking you to the floor," Edmund shot back. Peter chuckled again, straightening up as dinner began.

* * *

The next morning Laira walked with Georgie and Lucy towards the gates of the palace when they ran into Peter, who had come in from walking the gardens.

"Good morning, ladies," he said, smiling at the three women. "Where are you off to?"

"We wanted to go explore the city and see it before we left. Princess Laira hasn't seen much of Tashbaan either, so we thought today would be as good as any," Georgie explained.

"Who's going with you?" Peter asked, his voice growing serious. "We won't be gone long," Lucy said.

"That doesn't answer my question, Lu. You know you shouldn't go out there without some type of escort. It isn't safe," Peter said.

"But Peter…" Lucy argued.

"No, I'm not going to have my little sister and friends alone in the streets of Tashbaan being targets for who knows what! Furthermore, Georgiana, I'm a little surprised at you; I know Edmund would never approve of this," Peter said firmly.

"I don't need Edmund's approval or permission, Peter," Georgie said.

"Need my permission for what?" Edmund asked as he walked up behind the women, placing his arm around Georgie.

"They want to go out and explore the city by themselves," Peter said casually to his brother. Edmund turned to Georgie, narrowing his eyes at her.

"No," he said firmly.

"Edmund, I'm an adult just as you are. I don't need your permission," she argued, returning his dark look.

"Actually, you do. If I need to put my foot down as king, I will," Edmund said.

"Edmund!" Georgie gasped, her anger rising.

"Well I'm a queen, so that won't work on me!" Lucy cried.

"This argument is ridiculous! Are we really arguing over whose station is higher?" Peter asked, sighing in frustration.

"Your majesty," Laira spoke up. Peter raised an eyebrow at her. "I think you're absolutely right. Tashbaan is very dangerous for three women walking around alone, especially when none of us are Calormene," she said, struggling to stifle a grin.

"Well, I'm glad one of you has a level head today," Peter muttered.

"I think what we need is someone who can watch out for us but also join in our tour of the city. Perhaps you and King Edmund would care to join us?" she asked.

"Oh, well, I suppose… Yes, I suppose we could," Peter stuttered, surprised by Laira's suggestion. Edmund groaned loudly, but was suddenly stopped by Georgie's elbow.

"Ow, G! Stop elbowing me so much!" he complained as he rubbed his side.

"Well great! Let's go!" Lucy exclaimed, happy that her brothers had agreed to come with them. _My plan is working perfectly_, she thought to herself, smiling widely at Peter.

**AN: This chapter was a toughie... But thanks to everyone's really nice comments, I soldiered on! I had all intentions of putting something about Laira in this note (since everyone said they didn't mind them and some actually said you liked them!), but as I'm leaving work in 3 minutes, there's really not enough time to write what I'd hoped to say... no matter how mad fast my typing skills are!**

**Updated AN: I got a little extra time so I thought I'd finish up my note. Laira, as most of you know, was introduced in Choosing Grace. I actually never meant for her to be anything big, but after a while I figured I could use her to spice up the plot by having her secretly marry the man who was trying to kill Peter and Susan. I don't really know when I actually decided that she would end up with Peter... because really she had no personality whatsoever originally. It's been kind of fun developing her over the past few chapters. Hm... that wasn't really as much as I had hoped to write, but there's really nothing else to say about her. **

**Something else I wanted to mention was how this story is going to be mapped out... I started the first chapter/prologue out right before the point where Receiving Grace ends. My main reasons for that is to 1) introduce all the main characters and tell new readers kind of what's going on (with Susan coming to Aslan's Country), 2) foreshadow some of the things that will be happening later in the story, and 3) have a Georgie and Edmund moment (because I have MISSED them!). The second chapter started out overlapping a chapter from Choosing Grace and filling in the holes from it, namely showing their visit from different points of view. In that particular chapter (in CG), Peter's quick to jump to Laira's aid, but it's never exactly explained why. So... the past few chapters have answered that "why?". Since this story is going to deal with both Peter and Lucy, I thought that it only made sense to focus on Peter first and then Lucy, because Peter had found Laira in the past and Lucy's left to the future. **

**Which brings me to Lucy... I feel like I've made my feelings known about Lucy at least once in both CG and RG... I really am not a Lucy fan. In fact, out of all the Pevensies, I don't like her at all. I blame the BBC for that and that poor girl they cast as her. So maybe, because of this, I've kind of elaborated on Lucy's actual character, but I hope not too much. I think, as with most youngest children, she provides the comic relief to the group, so that's been fun to write. But enough of my chattering on... If I haven't mentioned it before, you all are fantastic!  
**


	5. Chapter 5

The five set out to explore Tashbaan. Edmund, who had been to the capital city before, was eager to note its changes, pointing out buildings that had stood exactly the same or mentioning that a road now veered left instead of right. He entertained them with stories of their adventures in Tashbaan from before, telling of how Prince Corin had gotten lost in the city and they had accidentally found the wrong boy, who later turned out to be his twin, Cor. He described their escape from the city and their deception of the Tisroc and prince as they fled in the middle of the night on their ship, the _Splendor Hyaline_.

Peter chuckled at Georgie and Laira who seemed to hang on Edmund's every word. He had heard the stories many times in the past so he stopped paying attention halfway through, preferring to focus on Laira's reaction to them. He noted how she smiled and laughed at some parts and frowned and gasped at others. Her hands moved when she talked, whether she was asking a question or telling a story of her own adventures in Calormen. He grinned when the others laughed at something she had said, enjoying the fact that his brother, sister and Georgie had so easily accepted her. As they turned down a long street, Peter caught his sister's eye. Lucy gave him a knowing smile.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" she asked nonchalantly.

"I am," Peter answered.

"Princess Laira seems to be as well," she said.

"So it would seem," Peter replied, glancing sideways at his sister. Peter's attention was caught by Laira's cheerful laughter.

"Peter, I think G is getting hungry. What do you say to us treating the ladies to lunch?" Edmund asked, chuckling as Georgie tried to shush him and Laira laughing at the couple.

Later that afternoon, after eating until they were over-full at the street market in the center of Tashbaan, the five returned back to the palace seeking solace from the heat. They walked to the sitting room of their guest wing they shared and entered the cool room. Caspian was already there, sitting at a large desk. He looked up when they walked in, his eyes widening before breaking into a wide smile.

"Looks like you got a little too much sun, Lucy," he said. Laira turned to look at her, gasping when she saw the queen's red face.

"Oh, no!" Lucy cried as she hurried over to a large gilt framed mirror that hung on one of the walls. "I look awful!" she wailed as she carefully touched her sunburned face.

"It's not too bad. I'm sure it will be gone in a couple days," Georgie said comfortingly as she placed an arm around Lucy's shoulders, scrutinizing her own slightly pink nose in the mirror. "Come on, let's go see if we can't find something to put on it," she said, pulling Lucy towards the door.

"I could use my cordial!" Lucy said brightly, her worries easing.

"Lu, that doesn't seem like a good use for your cordial," Peter said. Lucy sighed.

"I know," she muttered.

"Besides, if I can get shot in my shoulder by an arrow and handle it without the cordial, I think you can handle a little sunburn," Edmund added. Laira caught the sad glance Georgie gave him, piquing her curiosity.

"Alright, alright, alright. I won't use it. I wasn't really going to anyway," Lucy muttered again as she walked out of the room, Georgie following close behind.

"When were you shot, King Edmund?" Laira asked. The three kings simultaneously scowled, startling Laira.

"Recently, Princess Laira. Lord Brin hired assassins to shoot G, but ended up hitting me instead," Edmund explained, his voice tight with anger.

"Oh," Laira said softly. Straightening her back she said in a regal voice, "I'm not sure how much it will mean, but I apologize for my husband's actions." Edmund gave her a warm smile.

"Believe me, princess, it's not your place to apologize for him. His actions had nothing to do with you," he said. Behind her Peter snorted. She turned to him, giving him a puzzled look.

"I hope you don't believe my brother," he said to her.

"Pete…" Edmund started.

"So, Edmund, how about a rematch in chess? I think today is the day I finally beat you," Caspian said quickly interrupted. Eyeing his brother, Edmund hesitated before responding, "I think that sounds like an idea. I believe I remember seeing a set in the library that looked promising." Caspian and he hurried out of the room, Edmund pausing at the door before leaving.

"Peter, behave," he warned.

"Oh, just go," Peter muttered.

"What did you mean by that, your majesty?" Laira asked curiously once the two kings had closed the door behind them.

"Brin's actions most definitely had something to do with you. He attempted to murder my sister and me because he thought I was trying to marry you," Peter said gruffly.

"Yes, I know. I think about that every day," Laira said softly as she sat on a plush sofa. Peter sighed and sat next to her.

"Princess, you know I don't hold what he did against you. Neither do any of my siblings," he said.

"I'm glad to hear that. I just wish everyone else would feel the same," she said.

"Yes… about that. We feel it might be a good idea for you to return with us to Narnia for a few weeks rather than to Anvard and your parents," Peter said.

"Why, your majesty?" Laira asked. Peter smiled.

"First, let's cut out the 'your majesty' nonsense. It seems pretty pointless when it's just us talking. And second, we think that if you're seen in our company and we show that we accept you after everything, the Archenlanders eventually will," Peter explained.

"Are you inviting me to Cair Paravel?" Laira asked confusedly. Peter's brow furrowed; he hadn't written King Sol yet to invite her and felt that perhaps he should have her father's permission before he promised her she could accompany them.

"Yes, I think I am," he said unsurely. His face relaxed when he saw her smile.

"I think I would like that. My father always spoke of how beautiful King Caspian had rebuilt it. Although I think he mentioned it more to convince me to marry you rather than compliment King Caspian's achievements," Laira said, laughing lightly. Peter chuckled with her.

"I probably should have just married you and saved us both a lot of trouble," he said teasingly. Laira's face instantly fell.

"I'm not sure how much trouble either of us would have been saved," she said softly.

"Princess Laira, I'm sorry," Peter quickly apologized. Laira grinned.

"Let's cut out the 'princess' nonsense; it seems pointless when it's just us," she said, repeating Peter's earlier words. "It's just Laira."

"Well then, Laira, it's been a long day so far. Would you like to do something or are you tired or hungry?" Peter asked.

"Hungry? No. As much food as you and your brother insisted on buying for us, I'm not sure if I'll ever want to eat again," Laira giggled. Peter laughed and said, "Perhaps we did go a bit overboard. I think we forget that not everyone eats like us Pevensies."

"I think I'd actually like to hear about Cair Paravel, if you don't mind, that is," she said.

Peter spent the rest of the afternoon telling Laira about Cair Paravel and Narnia, how they had first moved into the castle during their first reign and some of the adventures they had during their times in Narnia. Laira asked questions which Peter patiently answered, much to his surprise. He often detested being interrupted with questions, but found that hers did not bother him; he actually enjoyed them and the lively conversation that would follow his answers. Peter wondered when the last time he had spent such an enjoyable afternoon relaxing and talking, only to have his mind draw a blank.

That evening was the night before the Narnian's last day in Tashbaan and at the Tisroc's palace and, in honor of their visit and successful completion of their mission, the Tisroc decided to hold a ball. Peter walked Laira back to her room, promising he would meet her in a few hours to escort her to the ballroom. Almost as soon as he left her two women slaves knocked on Laira's door. When she opened it, they informed her that the Tisroc had instructed them to help her and the other Narnia women dress. Her eyes widened when she saw the clothing they held up for her. She had known for years what Tarkheenas wore and, on occasion, had dressed in clothing similar, although more modest.

The dress one of the women held up was anything but modest; it was of deep rose-colored fabric, the skirt of it splitting up the center to the high waist. The neckline was cut low, lower than anything Laira had ever worn, and the wide pants that were worn under the dress had a deep, low-slung look to them.

"I'm afraid I cannot wear that," Laira said, imitating the haughtiest Tarkheena she had ever heard, knowing that was what the slaves would respond best to.

"O Princess, the Tisroc (may he live forever) wishes his barbarian guests to dress in the finest his great land has to offer. He instructed us that it would be a grave insult to him if we did not dress you in proper fashion," the woman holding the dress said, her voice barely above a whisper. Laira sighed. She knew what would happen to them if the Tisroc suffered a grave insult and inwardly shuddered to think of what he would do to these two women.

"Come in," she said reluctantly, ushering the two women inside her room.

After nearly three hours of being pulled and prodded, primped and pampered, the two women left Laira alone in her room. She stood in front of the large mirror that hung on the wall, astonished at how the women had dressed her. The Calormene dress wasn't nearly as bad as she had first thought, but it still made her feel uncomfortable. From the short, puffy sleeves of her dress dangled tiny gold beads which matched the wide gold belt that she wore at the high waist of her dress. The pants under the dress came up higher than she had expected, covering her entire midsection. She knew it was not uncommon for women's stomachs to show in Tashbaan, especially in the presence of the Tisroc and his family. The women had curled her hair and piled it on top of her head, weaving golden and rose-colored ribbons through it.

"I suppose I don't look too terribly bad," she said to herself as she twisted in front of the mirror to better inspect herself. She guessed Peter would be coming for her shortly, her heart shocking her by beating quicker as she thought of opening the door to see him behind it. It had only been a few days that she had gotten to know him, but she found him to be intriguing and kind behind his kingly exterior he displayed to everyone around him. A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts as she smiled widely and skipped across the floor, her pointy rose-colored slippers padding on the carpets.

* * *

"I'm not wearing this!" Georgie cried to her empty room. The two slave women who had just left had assured her she looked like a grand Tarkheena, sure to put all others to shame.

"G?" Edmund called from the other side of her door. She rushed over and yanked open the door. Edmund stood dressed in his finest clothes that he had brought with them to Calormen, his traditional Narnian clothes.

"Why are you wearing that? Why do you get to wear your own clothes?" she exclaimed angrily as she glared at his deep green tunic.

"What in the world are you wearing?" he asked incredulously, his eyes widening as he looked over her much too revealing outfit.

"The Tisroc wanted us to dress in Calormene fashion tonight, claiming that he wanted to gift us with the finest he has. I look ridiculous!" Georgie said, spinning back towards her mirror.

"Ridiculous isn't quite the word I would use, sweetheart," Edmund chuckled. Georgie looked back at him, her eyes wide with worry.

"Atrocious?" she asked. Edmund walked closer to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Leaning down to her ear, he whispered, "I was thinking more along the lines of beautiful." He kissed along her jaw to her lips, kissing her lightly before pulling away.

"But you're not going dressed like that," he said firmly.

"What? Edmund…" Georgie trailed off irritably.

"I'm sorry, G, but I'm not going to have you parading around wearing what you're wearing, especially when that Rishdamar is lurking about," he said.

"That Rishdamar is a prince of Calormen and is not 'lurking about'. He'll be attending the party just as we are," Georgie said. She pulled herself out of his arms and turned back to her mirror.

"G, you know how I feel about him and how he's eyed you in the past. It's taken all my strength to be here and watch him look at you without poking his lecherous eyes out. I don't think I could handle how he would look at you tonight if you go out dressed like that. I'm not quite sure how I'm handling myself right now looking at you dressed like that," Edmund said, a small grin appearing on his face. Georgie blushed slightly then sighed.

"You're right, I suppose. What am I going to do?" she asked.

"I think you've come down with a very nasty Narnian illness that has prevented you from attending the party tonight out of your wish not to infect the Tisroc's other guests," Edmund said cheerfully.

"Can't I just change into one of my own dresses?" Georgie complained. As much as she hated what she was wearing, she certainly didn't want to miss the party.

"Only if you want to insult the Tisroc, and you know what happens when he's insulted. Your clothing change could possibly start a war," Edmund said, his voice teasingly grave.

"Fine, I have a Narnian illness," Georgie sighed, giving Edmund a small fake cough.

"That's my girl," he chuckled, kissing her cheek. She reached up and placed the back of her hand against his forehead

"I think you may have it too," she said innocently, smiling slyly at him.

"What? And miss the party? Never!" Edmund laughed.

"You're horrible," Georgie muttered. Edmund laughed again and pulled her into a tight hug, kissing her on top of her head.

"Feel better, Princess. I'll be sure to send you up some food soon," he said. He let her go and turned to leave.

"You know Lucy's wearing something very similar," she called after him. Edmund stopped at the door, his hand frozen on the handle. "I actually think hers may be made of a little thinner material. She seemed excited to get to wear it," Georgie goaded.

"Like hell she will!" Edmund barked as he jerked the door open and slammed it behind him. Georgie smirked at the door before she began to change out of her clothes.

_Just wait until Lucy finds out he won't let her go. That will teach him to be so overprotective,_ she thought.

* * *

Peter walked down the hall tugging at the cuffs of his shirt. _I know this had been longer before we came here_, he thought. The cuffs were a fraction too short; he knew it probably didn't make much difference, but it bothered him that they no longer sat where they had only a week ago. Sighing to himself he gave up and brushed imaginary lint from the shoulders of the deep blue tunic he wore over his shirt. He had spent the remainder of the afternoon worrying with his clothing and wondering how his sisters managed to keep sane when they prepared for the large parties and balls they often held at Cair Paravel. In the past Peter had never put much stock into his preparation for them, most times dressing at the very last minute. Today was the first time in a very long time he had giving thought to his appearance and the way his clothes hung on him.

Shaking his head slightly over his ridiculousness, he continued his way down the hall to Laira's room. He had promised he would meet her to walk to the ballroom together. Peter was worried that if she was alone in the palace, the Calormenes who had wished for justice for her murdering her husband might decide to take action into their own hands. Although his protectiveness seemed, to him, a bit over the top, he knew it would be best for the princess. _Now I know how Ed feels about Georgiana,_ he thought.

His brother was Georgie's constant protector and hero, often times annoyingly so; Peter was always surprised that Georgie managed to keep her temper whenever Edmund felt the need to tell her she couldn't do something or go somewhere. _But,_ Peter mentally added_, I suppose that's how I've always acted about him and Lucy. Although Georgiana really has proven she hardly needs Ed's protection._

He reached Laira's door and knocked gently on it. When Laira opened the door he balked at her appearance.

"Is it that bad?" she nervously asked as she glanced down at herself.

"No, no you look… nice," Peter managed to say.

"The Tisroc insisted we dress in the most fashionable Calormene clothes. I thought, with everything that's happened because of me, I should not want to insult him by refusing to wear this," Laira said diplomatically.

"You're probably right about that. Do you think you'll be warm enough?" Peter asked. Laira shot him a skeptical look as she stepped out of her room. "Right, the heat," Peter muttered, rolling his eyes at his own question.

"I appreciate your concern. I must say, right now the weather in Archenland is what I'm looking forward to the most. Even in its hottest months it's not nearly this bad," Laira laughed as she shut her door. Peter offered her his arm which she accepted, lacing her arm through his.

"Shall we?" he asked.

"Let's," she replied as they began walking towards the ballroom.

"Ow, Edmund!" they heard Lucy cry from the end of the hallway. Peter pulled Laira's arm out from his and hurried towards his sister's distressed voice. Just as he reached her bedchamber door, he quickly jumped back as his two younger siblings fell out into the hall. Edmund held Lucy's arm tightly in his hand, a dark look on his face as he glared at her. Lucy's stare was equally as dark as she narrowed her eyes back at her brother.

"You can't stop me from going!" she cried as she struggled to pull herself out of his hold.

"What are you two doing?" Peter asked loudly.

"Peter, tell her she isn't going dressed like that!" Edmund demanded.

"I have to go, Edmund! I'm a queen of Narnia!" Lucy said, finally pulling her arm away from her brother. Peter sighed.

"Ed, relax. Lucy will be alright. If things get out of hand, you and I will be there to intercede. The Tisroc and Prince Rishdamar fully understand their boundaries and know we're more than happy to remind them if they forget," he said calmly. Edmund grunted, annoyed with his brother for not backing him up. Lucy smiled smugly at him, earning her a disgusted glare.

"Lucy, I hope you'll remember that you are, indeed, a queen of Narnia and will try to behave?" Peter asked sternly. Lucy rolled her eyes and replied, "Don't I always?" Edmund snorted.

"Sometimes," he said, his face breaking into a grin. Laira walked up behind the three siblings, seeing that they were finished arguing.

"Are we ready to go?" she asked brightly.

"I believe so," Peter said, offering his arm to her again.

"Where's Georgiana?" Lucy asked, glancing around.

"She's developed a very nasty Narnian illness and isn't coming," Edmund said casually.

"So, in other words, you told you she couldn't come?" Peter teased.

"Exactly," Edmund replied.

"Oh, honestly Edmund! What's come over you lately?" Lucy said exasperatedly.

The four met Caspian and walked to the large ballroom where they were presented to the Tisroc's court. Music began playing, its strange foreign sound wafting through the air as dancers began moving to its beat. Laira's grip on Peter's arm tightened as she saw Prince Rishdamar walking across the room towards them. Peter felt her fingers digging into him and placed his hand over hers, hoping to calm her.

"O kings and queen, princess, let me welcome you," Prince Rishdamar spoke when he reached them.

"Thank you, Prince Rishdamar. We are all very happy to be here," Caspian said, speaking for them all.

"I am grateful that you have accepted my father's most worthy gifts. Your beauty, O Queen, is indeed a gift to us all and is only made more radiant by the finery of my country," he said to Lucy, picking her hand up and placing a gallant kiss on it. Lucy's eyes widened in shock; once before the prince had tried such flattery on her and, being as young as she was then, she had easily fallen for it, nearly ruining herself in the process. Her brothers had quickly put an end to his pursuits by threatening to cut all peaceful ties with Calormen if he ever attempted to conduct such behavior towards either of their sisters again.

"Lucy," Edmund said, taking her hand from Rishdamar's. "I believe I owe you a dance." Edmund pulled Lucy quickly towards the dance floor, his gaze darkening towards Rishdamar when they were away from him.

"Your highness, I don't believe I need to remind you again of our agreement," Peter said quietly to the prince.

"Of course not, O High King. I only meant to compliment your lovely sister," Rishdamar said. Turning to Caspian he smiled and said, "Come, King Caspian. Let us find you a Tarkheena to dance with." Caspian politely returned his smile.

"Thank you, Prince Rishdamar, but I will have to decline. I do not dance with anyone but my wife and family these days," he said. The prince chuckled and nodded.

"Although I do not understand your barbarian ways, I do find them to be most entertaining. If you will excuse me, O kings," he said.

"Would you like to dance?" Peter asked Laira when Rishdamar was gone.

"Yes, please," she nodded, smiling brightly up at him. Peter led her to the center of the floor, stopping when he realized he had no idea how to dance any of the Calormene dances that swirled around him. He quickly scanned the room to find his brother and sister, hoping to imitate whatever dance they were doing. A panicked smile crept on his face when he saw them. _Leave it to Ed to ignore all protocol and dance however he pleases,_ Peter thought. He recognized some of the moves his siblings made as their own traditional Narnian dances.

"Is something wrong, Peter?" Laira asked. Peter looked down at her and gave her a sheepish grin.

"I just realized I don't know any of these dances," he admitted. Laira gave a light laugh.

"They really aren't hard. Just do what feels natural," she explained, stepping forward and taking his hand into hers. Peter slid his hand onto her waist as they began to move to the music. As the music changed to a slower tempo, its seductive melodies moving the dancers to slow their pace as well, Peter gently moved closer to Laira.

"I like that, you know?" he asked softly.

"The music? I suppose it is nice," she replied.

"No, although it is nice. I meant hearing you say my name," he explained. Laira was silent for several seconds; Peter could feel her heart beating against his chest. She slowly glanced up, a soft smile playing on her lips.

"I like it, too," she replied.

* * *

**AN: Whoa, this chapter was EXTREMELY difficult to write and I'm still unsure how I feel about it... I suppose I've had similar chapters in my other stories that were pure agony to write, but after I went back and read them, they weren't so bad after all. I'm thinking it's most likely been my crazy week so far and being mentally wiped from work! And before you all start commenting about Edmund's over-protectiveness, let me be the first to remind you that he was exactly like that in Choosing Grace, usually much to Georgie's annoyance. Having grown up reading a lot of period romance novels, I guess I've always thought there was something vaguely attractive about a handsome, protective man. But, I really like that Georgie's not a pushover when it comes to Edmund's protectiveness and often stands up to it, showing that she can take care of herself, but liking that he wants to take care of her. Wow... I so just realized that Edmund and Georgie are NOT the main characters in this story and I've completely given them a huge paragraph to discuss them! I'm excited for Peter and Laira though... the last part of this chapter is really gearing up for their story! **

**Also, just wanted to share something that's made me super happy today... I figured out that you can track hits and the number of readers for each day... Yes, I'm a little slow... It made me extremely happy that numbers of people reading were in the 1000s for all 3 of my stories! My ego really shot up after finding that out. However, with that many people reading this, I think you should all review more often... only kidding! But, as a little incentive, if I ever write a book for real one day, I'll totally dedicate it to you if you review! :-) **


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: I'm not even going to wait for the end of this chapter to tell you how painful it was to write this... I don't even care if you destroy this chapter and say it's the worst I've ever written! Well... actually I do care and really hope you don't say that, but it really was tough to write and I didn't enjoy it very much. I'm just going to write this one off as a bad filler (hence the super shortness of it) and move on to the better chapters that I hope are coming up soon! **

Hours later the ball was still in full swing, its guests' energies only increasing as the night grew deeper. Edmund had retired earlier, wanting to check on Georgie since he had not allowed her to attend. He took Lucy with him, claiming that Peter was too busy entertaining Laira and that Caspian had already left hours before. Lucy had quickly conceded, seeing her brother dancing with Laira; she had lost count how many times they had danced together. After realizing that his brother and sister had left, Peter had asked Laira if she would like to walk in the gardens, anxious to escape from the over-warm ballroom.

They found themselves deep in the palace gardens, the moonlight illuminating their path. As they walked, their hands brushed together, accidentally at first but as they walked further it soon became more and more on purpose. Shivers shot down Laira's spine each time her hand touched Peter's, her pulse racing with excitement. They had just walked through a large hedge walkway when she felt Peter's hand wrap around hers, clasping it in his firm grip. She looked down at their intertwined hands and then up to his face. He grinned and said, "I hope you don't mind, but I was tired of 'accidentally' touching your hand." Laira laughed brightly and shook her head.

"I was getting tired of it, too," she said.

As they walked further into the garden the fragrance from the flowers that grew on the tall bushes began to fill the air. "How beautiful!" Laira exclaimed. Peter let go of her hand and said, "Wait here."

She watched as he jogged over to one of the bushes, smiling as he reached up to pick one of the pale white blossoms. An arm suddenly grasped her roughly around her waist and a hand clamped down hard on her mouth as she was pulled backwards from where she stood. Panicking, she screamed against the hand over her mouth; it only tightened against her as she was dragged from the gardens. Laira bit down hard on the hand. With a yelp, the person's hand released her mouth.

"Peter!" Laira screamed.

Peter turned at the sound of Laira's scream, seeing the now empty garden behind him. He dropped the flower he held and rushed towards the entrance of the garden. The sight he saw in front of him made him stop in his tracks; Laira was standing over a fallen man who was doubled over, clasping his midsection. In the moonlight Peter could see blood dripping from the man's nose as Laira shook her right hand, clenching and unclenching it rapidly.

"What happened? Are you alright?" he asked as he hurried over to her.

"I'm fine," she said, her voice over bright.

"What did you do to him?" Peter asked. Laira looked up at him, a smug smile on her face.

"You don't live in Calormen for over five years without learning to fend off untoward advances," she said primly. Peter chuckled.

"Remind me to always ask when I want to do this," he said.

"Do what?" Laira asked. Peter gently took her chin between his fingers and leaned down, his lips barely brushing against hers.

"This," he whispered as his lips pressed to hers, kissing her sweetly in the moonlight.

"Filthy trash! You should be killed for what you did," the man spat at them from where he lay on the ground. Laira pulled back from Peter and turned to the man.

"Quiet you, or I'll kick you again," she said, her quiet voice sounding threatening. The man scowled but remained quiet, still doubled over in pain.

"I should take him to the guards," Peter said reluctantly.

"Yes, I suppose it wouldn't do either of us any good to stand here kissing in the moonlight while he lays there watching," Laira agreed, grin tugging on her lips. Peter bent down and kissed her cheek before reaching for the man and hauling him to his feet.

"Later," he said, winking at Laira before dragging the man inside. Laira watched as he walked off, a silly grin on her face, before realizing that he had left her alone in the garden. Not wanting to stand outside by herself, she hurried after him, hoping to continue what they had started in the garden.

* * *

"Oh look! How pretty!" Laira commented as she and Peter came to a booth with metal jewelry on it. Peter sighed. As much as he was enjoying spending the day with Laira, he had grown tired of Georgie and her pulling him towards every booth that caught their eyes. Edmund had commented earlier that if they let the two women shop any longer their entire royal coffers would be emptied before the day was through. Peter had replied that thankfully they hadn't brought Lucy along with them. Lucy's sunburn she had gotten earlier had quickly gone away, but she was now worried that going out again might make her even redder, so she had decided to stay at the palace with Caspian rather than going to the market place on their last day in Tashbaan.

_Although Georgiana and Laira are certainly just as bad as Lucy is when it comes to buying,_ Peter thought as he glanced down at his arms, which were full of fabrics they had picked out to bring back to Susan.

"Where did King Edmund and Princess Georgiana go?" Laira asked as she turned from the booth.

"I think they wandered off to look around," Peter said as he stepped closer to the booth. "Which one do you like?"

"Peter, every time you've asked me that question today you've bought whichever one I pointed out," Laira said.

"I have not," Peter said. Laira raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? What's that in your arm?" she teased as she turned back to the booth of jewelry.

"Which one do you like?" Peter asked again, coming closer to her. A shriek caught their attention. Turning, they both saw Georgie run by, dodging a large man standing near them. Edmund chased her closely, laughing as he ran by. Laira giggled at the couple.

"Children," Peter snorted, rolling his eyes at his brother and Georgie.

"Oh, Peter, they're only having fun," Laira said, giving Peter's hand an affectionate squeeze.

"Do you like that one?" Peter asked, pointing to one of the bracelets. Laira glanced at the bracelet. It was made of different types of metals, hammered thinly and shaped into links. She nodded quickly and smiled.

"We'll take this one," Peter said to the man at the booth, handing him several coins. Peter set his other packages down and picked up the bracelet. "Hold out your hand," he instructed. Laira lifted her left hand and he wrapped the bracelet around her wrist, securing the clasp.

"Thank you. I love it," Laira said as she inspected it.

"Surely you can thank a man better than that," Peter said softly. Laira placed her hands on his chest and stood on tip-toe, touching her lips gently to his. Peter wrapped his arms around her waist, deepening their kiss. When Laira pulled away, Peter chuckled, his arms still around her. "Maybe I should buy you things more often," he remarked.

"Maybe we should be getting back so we don't miss our ship," she replied, pulling herself away. They were sailing back to Narnia in the afternoon, none of them eager to stay in Tashbaan any longer.

"You're right," Peter agreed as he began picking up the packages he had set down, sending a wink to her. "At least we'll have time to continue this on the voyage."

* * *

Laira sat back and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She had been violently seasick since they had first left Tashbaan. Having sailed very little in her life - only once, in fact, before today - she was not used to being on the seas; her stomach refused to settle, causing her to be sick over and over. Lucy and Georgie had offered to come sit with her, Lucy helping her as she needed it, wiping her face with a damp cloth, holding her hair back as she was sick. Georgie, however, looked as though she was turning green whenever Laira was sick. Lucy hurried over to her with a damp cloth, wiping Laira's forehead gently.

"Lucy, I'm fine, really," Laira said as she took the cloth from Lucy's hand and wiped her mouth with it.

"Maybe some fresh air will help," Georgie suggested eagerly, hopping off the low bunk she sat on.

"That sounds like a good idea," Lucy agreed as she helped Laira to stand. As they walked up the steps to the deck, the sound of laughter caught their ear.

"It sounds like the boys are having a good time," Georgie commented.

"I refuse to act like a love-sick puppy around her like you two have become around your women," they heard Peter say over the laughter, which quickly died. Laira stifled a laugh as Lucy called, "Ahem!" The three men turned towards them, sheepish looks on their faces. Peter saw Laira's pallid complexion and quickly sobered.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he hurried over to her.

"She was more sea-sick than we thought," Lucy explained.

"Obviously. Are you okay now?" he asked, taking her hand from Lucy. Laira nodded.

"We thought some fresh air might help," she said, closing her eyes as a wave of nausea overtook her.

"Is it?" Peter asked.

"No!" Laira said as she pulled herself out of Peter's grip and hurried to the edge of the ship and leaned over it. She felt strong hands on her back, rubbing it as she continued to be sick.

"It's alright. We'll just... not sail... ever again..." Peter said slowly, inwardly sighing. _This is going to be a long trip home,_ he thought.

* * *

They reached Cair Paravel two days later. Susan and Caspian's wife met them at the dock, both eager to greet the returning Narnians.

"You're home! You're home!" Caspian's wife cried as she threw herself into her husband's arms. Susan excitedly hugged her siblings and Georgie, happy they had returned safely to her.

"Princess Laira! What are you doing here?" Susan asked, surprised when she saw Laira standing among them. Peter wrapped his arm around his sister's shoulders. Unsure of how to explain just yet, he said, "It's okay Su. We'll explain later." Susan seemed to be mollified as she gave Laira a hesitant smile. Peter dropped his arm from Susan's shoulders and grasped Laira's hand, pulling her gently along with him as they began their walk back to Cair Paravel. Susan held back and grabbed Lucy's arm. She turned to her older sister, grinning at Susan's shocked face.

"What exactly happened in Tashbaan?" she asked. Lucy linked her arm through her sister's as the two followed behind the others.

"It seems our big brother may have fallen in love," she said gleefully.

"Isn't that something?" Susan said quietly, a small smile on her lips.


	7. Chapter 7

Susan opened the door to the guest room where Laira was staying. She froze when she saw Laira turn quickly from the window.

"I'm sorry! I thought you might be asleep and wanted to bring you some clothes," Susan said, lifting several dresses towards Laira.

"Thank you, your majesty. That's very kind of you," Laira said quietly as she turned back to her window. Susan laid the dresses on the bed and walked to the window to stand by Laira.

"My brother seems to be very taken with you," Susan said, pushing the thin curtain away from the window. Below she could see her brothers sparring, their swords furiously clashing together.

"I know," Laira said quietly. Susan glanced sideways at her.

"You don't like that?" she asked. Laira sighed and turned away from the window.

"It isn't that, your majesty. I'm unsure whether I am the best woman for your brother. He is the High King of Narnia, after all," Laira said. Susan laughed gently as she closed the curtain and turned to Laira.

"Believe me, I know. He hasn't let us forget that for years," she teased. "What makes you think you're not the best for him? I admit I was surprised, given your past, but we all have our skeletons."

"Queen Susan, my past is hardly my reason for thinking myself unworthy for your brother. I killed my husband. How could I be right for someone as noble as your brother?" Laira asked quietly as she sat on her bed. Susan inhaled deeply and sat beside Laira.

"Maybe you should tell me what happened between you and Lord Brin," Susan said. Laira nodded and began her story, telling Susan of her life in Calormen and of how she killed Lord Brin. She also explained how Peter had stood up to the Tisroc for her, saving her from being executed. Susan listened intently, not interrupting Laira's story.

"What country would want me as their queen? I can hardly continue my relationship with Peter because I would never be worthy to be a queen of Narnia. I'm already afraid my own country will not accept me when I return and I cannot blame them. I don't know what I should do," Laira said, finishing her story. Susan was silent for several seconds before placing her hand over Laira's.

"Princess Laira, do you have feelings for my brother?" she asked. Laira's eyes widened.

"I do, your majesty. He's been so wonderful to me over the past week. He's the best person I've ever met," Laira said.

"I saw how my brother looked at you earlier. It's obvious to everyone that he feels something for you. And if what you say is true, that he's the best person you've ever met, then how could you not be worthy for him? I understand how you feel, what you felt when you killed Lord Brin. I understand probably better than anyone ever could. If you truly feel the way you do for my brother, then your past makes no difference," Susan said. Laira smiled.

"Thank you, your majesty." Susan squeezed her hand.

"Of course. But please, call me Susan. Now, I suggest you get cleaned up and dressed. We have a wonderful dinner planned for everyone tonight and you are certainly invited," she said, hopping off the bed.

An hour later Laira stood in front of her mirror putting the final touches on her hair when a knock on the door caught her attention. Walking happily to the door, she opened and smiled at Peter who stood behind it.

"Good evening. May I escort you to dinner?" he asked, holding out his hand to her.

"You may," Laira said as she placed her hand in his.

"I hear you've had a talk with my sister," he said.

"I have," she replied nervously. Peter leaned down to her and whispered, "Susan seems to like you."

"I like her too," Laira said.

"She also tells me that you like me," Peter said nonchalantly as he straightened.

"Oh dear," Laira whispered as she covered her blushing face with her hand. Peter stopped and pulled her hand away from her face.

"It's alright. I happen to like you as well, if my actions over the past days haven't been enough of an indication," he teased.

"I know. These few days have been the happiest I've had in a long while. It's just been so soon; I thought that maybe it was only... that you only saw this as..." Laira trailed off as she sighed.

"A flirtation? A dalliance?" Peter finished. Laira shrugged slightly.

"I wasn't sure what to think," she said.

"I know what type of man you married and I know the type of men you have lived among for years. I assure you I'm not that type of man nor will I ever be. I don't enter into mild flirtations with women, especially with crown princesses of neighboring countries. You never need to worry about that," Peter said firmly.

"That's... very nice to know," Laira said, her smile returning to her face.

"Good. Now, let's go to dinner. I'm famished," Peter said. The two continued to the dining room. When they reached the door, Peter leaned down to her ear and said, "By the way, you look lovely tonight." Laira's smile widened as they walked through the doors.

* * *

The next morning Laira met Peter at the castle gates. "Are you ready?" he asked when she arrived. He had offered to take her on a tour of the castle and its grounds.

"I am," she said, smiling.

They walked the grounds first. Peter pointed out the training fields, the gardens and apple orchard, telling her the story of how they were planted. He took her down to the beach that edged the Eastern Sea, pointing along the shore to the woods they arrived through when they returned to Narnia.

"This is one of my favorite places to come when I need to be alone," he said as they walked along where the water met the shore.

"It's so nice here. Peaceful," Laira commented as she held her skirt up, letting the cool water brush against her toes. They had removed their shoes earlier and left them sitting further up the beach.

"I'm glad you think so," he said, taking her hand in his.

"I'll definitely miss this when I go home," she said wistfully.

"About that..." Peter started, running his hand through his hair nervously. Laira giggled. He had knocked his crown off center. She dropped her skirt and reached up, straightening the golden crown.

"What about it?" she asked.

"I was thinking maybe you wouldn't have to go home," he said.

"I have to. I have a duty to my country and my parents," she said confusedly.

"Well, yes. I know that. But I meant that maybe you shouldn't have a reason to go home," Peter said.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Perhaps we should get married. I know it's quite soon, but I think it would be a good idea for us," he said.

"Oh!" Laira exclaimed, finally understanding Peter's meaning.

"What do you think?" Peter asked. Laira smiled and answered, "I think that sounds lovely."

* * *

Days later Laira returned to her room. A letter on a silver tray sat on her bed. Staring curiously at it, she picked it up, opening it by running her finger under the wax seal. The letter was addressed to her; she quickly scanned it and saw that it was from her father. Sitting on her bed, she began to read:

_My dear daughter,_

_I have received word from the High King Peter that you are to join him and his family at Cair Paravel. While your dear mother and I still grieve for your past actions, this new turn of events has lightened our hearts tremendously. The king has spoken highly of you in his letter to me and has asked to soon make an offer of marriage to you. I cannot stress to you the importance of this, daughter. A match such as one between you and the High King of Narnia would unite our countries permanently, resulting in an alliance that would benefit everyone. The king is aware of these benefits and has made them known to me. Please keep him in mind over the next few weeks that you are in Narnia and please put your past feelings for him aside so that your match will prosper._

_We miss you more than I can write and hope you are well. We shall see you soon and hope to welcome you and your new husband when the time comes._

_Love,_

_Your father_

Laira let the letter fall to the floor. Her face turned stony as she thought of her father's words. Surely her father must have misunderstood Peter's words. While he had never spoken words of love to her, she knew that he thought more of her than just as a good match for his kingdom. He had been too kind, too attentive, too... wonderful.

"Father was mistaken," she whispered to herself. She jumped off her bed and bent down to pick up the letter, crumpling it in her hands. She tossed it forcefully across the room, hoping to relieve some of her anger. Sighing deeply she stormed to her door, jerking it open. Behind it stood a woman who Laira recognized as one of the queens' ladies maids.

"Your highness, Trumpkin, the Lord Regent, wishes to see you in the Council's chambers," the woman said, curtsying quickly before Laira.

"Take me to him, please," Laira said. She followed the woman through the castle to the Council's chambers. When they reached the tall wooden doors, Laira took a deep breath before pushing them open. She saw the dwarf standing in the center of the room, his hands clasped behind his back. Trumpkin's red beard had whitened over the years, his withered face aged.

"You wanted to see me, Lord Regent?" Laira asked. Trumpkin turned and replied, "Yes, your highness. Won't you have a seat?" He motioned to one of the many seats that surrounded the room. Laira sat as she was asked, folding her hands neatly in her lap, her back ramrod straight.

"Your highness, I have spoken with King Peter and he has made his wishes to marry you known. I trust you understand the magnitude of a marriage such as this?" Trumpkin asked.

"Exactly what are you insinuating, Lord Regent?" Laira asked suspiciously.

"The marriage between the High King of Narnia and the crown princess of Archenland is a highly sought union. The benefits to your country that an alliance such as this will bring are numerous. We, the Council and I, want to ensure that you are aware of your duty to the High King as his wife and that you are entering into this with the understanding of the role you will play," he explained.

"Has Peter said he was marrying me to join Archenland to Narnia?" Laira asked, feeling her anger rise.

"We spoke of the very thing earlier today," Trumpkin replied. Laira's lips drew together as she inhaled deeply through her nose.

"You will have to excuse me for a moment, Lord Regent," she said through her teeth as she stood to leave.

"Your highness..." Trumpkin trailed off as Laira slammed the door behind her.

She stormed through the castle in search of Peter. Her anger rose with every step and the longer she took to find him, the angrier she became. She pushed open the doors to the Great Hall and saw Lucy and Susan.

"Laira! We were wondering were you've been!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Where's Peter?" Laira asked, her voice shaking as she tried to control it.

"He's in his room, I believe," Susan said hesitantly.

"Is everything okay?" Lucy asked.

"No," Laira said as she turned and shut the door behind her.

She quickly walked to the apartment Peter shared with his siblings, her heart beginning to race as she neared it. Taking a deep breath, she pounded on the door. Seconds later Peter appeared at the door. "Is everything okay?" he asked when he saw Laira's dark look.

"Did you want me to marry you to make an alliance with Archenland?" she asked.

"Did I what?" Peter asked confusedly.

"Is that the only reason you've paid me any attention? To align our countries? Was I just an easy way to control Archenland?" she demanded, her voice rising.

"How can you ask me that?" Peter asked, scowling at her.

"My father wrote to me and said that you had written to him saying the very same thing. Trumpkin just spoke with me asking me if I knew both my duty to you and the benefits my country would receive with you as my husband. So answer me! Did you want me to marry you to join our countries?" she said. Her voice shook as tears began to well in her eyes. Peter growled low and glanced around her into the hall. Grasping her arm he pulled her inside his room and shut the door behind them.

"Sit down," he said, his voice low as he motioned to a small sofa.

"Peter," Laira began.

"Sit!" Peter ordered, his voice hard with anger. Laira did as she was told, her heart continuing to pound. She had never seen Peter this angry and it began to make her nervous. She remembered when her husband was mad, his temper terrifying at times.

"Now, what is it you wanted to know? Am I marrying you to make an alliance with Archenland? Yes, as a matter of fact, I am. Am I marrying you because both our countries could benefit from an alliance between us? Yes, that's exactly why I'm marrying you. Am I marrying you because I think no one else will after everything you've been through? Of course that's the reason," he said.

"Then you can forget about-" Laira started.

"I'm not finished yet!" Peter cried in exasperation. "Laira, I asked you to marry me because of all those reasons. It just makes sense for us to. But none of those reasons are important to me. What is important to me is the fact that over the time I've known you, I've grown to love you and can't imagine not marrying you," he said, his voice growing calmer.

"You never asked me," Laira said softly.

"I know. My biggest mistake yet," Peter said as he walked closer to where she sat.

"You love me," Laira stated.

"Yes, I do." Peter replied, sitting next to her. "I've really made a mess of everything. I should have done this right, not just suggest we get married as I did. I should have had a ring and gotten on one knee and told you how much I loved you and asked you properly," he said.

"Maybe then I wouldn't have doubted your reasons," Laira said, her voice slightly teasing.

"Then I suppose I should correct my mistake," Peter said softly as he took her left hand in his. Taking a deep breath he scooted off the sofa and knelt before her. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small wooden box. Placing it in her hand, he asked, "Laira, will you marry me?" He opened the box revealing a ring, its large diamond sparkling. He heard her gasp slightly.

"Is that a yes?" he asked.

"Yes!" she answered happily. Peter chuckled as he took the ring out of the box and placed it on her finger. She slightly bounced in her seat as she looked at the ring.

"Happy?" Peter asked.

"There are no words," she answered, throwing her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her from the sofa has he stood, spinning her around. "I love you," she whispered in his ear.

**AN: Oh! This chapter was MUCH better to write! Sorry for the shortness of this chapter and the last one... they actually were supposed to be one chapter combined, but I was so frustrated with the last one that I just had to stop it and start anew on this one.**


	8. Chapter 8

Peter walked into the small dining room for dinner finding the others already seated. Caspian and his wife, as usual, were leaning close together whispering. He held her hand close to his lips, kissing it gently. Edmund and Georgie were seated with their backs to Peter. Edmund's arm rested on the back of her chair, his fingers threading gently through her hair. She was talking to Lucy and Susan who were seated across from them, his sisters laughing at something Edmund said. A smile tugged on his lips when he caught Laira's eyes. She was seated in the chair next to his, her hands in her lap.

"Well it's about time you got here!" Caspian said jovially as he looked up.

"Sorry, I didn't realize you were all early tonight," Peter said. He walked to his chair and sat, reaching under the table and squeezing Laira's hand. Caspian nodded to the man in a dark blue uniform standing at the back of the room. He bowed quickly and stepped through a door next to him, moments later returning with several other similarly dressed men carrying trays of food. Once the food had been set on the table and plates had been filled, Caspian stood up holding his glass.

"I have an announcement," he said, a wide smile on his face. He reached down with his other hand and took his wife's into his.

"It seems we're expecting a baby," he said excitedly. Cheers sounded around the table as Susan and Lucy jumped up to hug Caspian's wife. Edmund and Peter both stood to clap Caspian on the back, congratulating him. Laira stood, her hands clasped happily in front of her. Georgie looked at her, smiling warmly; her smile slowly faded when she saw the large diamond glittering on Laira's left hand.

"You're engaged!" she exclaimed. The room silenced as all heads turned towards Laira, whose cheeks reddened. Peter chuckled as he walked around the table to stand next to her.

"I suppose we have an announcement of our own as well," he said, as he took her hand in his, placing a small kiss on the back of it.

"Oh, this is the best night ever!" Lucy cried as she threw her arms around her oldest brother.

Over the next weeks the castle was a flurry of excitement as it prepared for the High King's wedding and the public announcement of King Caspian's wife's pregnancy. Susan and Lucy locked themselves away for hours in the Great Hall, planning the largest wedding Cair Paravel had ever seen. Peter spent as much time as he could with Laira, showing her the rest of her soon to be new kingdom.

At the end of the month, Peter sat in his study one afternoon. As much as he hated to admit it, he was hiding from his sisters. They had insisted on him helping with the wedding preparations, something he quickly realized he was not cut out for. He tried to reason with them, explaining that he and Laira did not plan to wed until the spring, once the cold winter was over, but they had persisted in their plans. Peter had then pleaded with Laira to take over the wedding plans; she had only laughed and explained that she was terrible at planning parties and balls and that it was better left in his sisters' capable hands. So Peter took to hiding from his sisters or practicing sparring longer with Edmund and Caspian in order to avoid having to help any further.

That particular day he was hiding, the weather outside too wet to practice, when a quick knock sounded on his door. Before he could call to the person to come in, Lucy rushed in the room, dripping from head to toe.

"What in the world Lucy? Why are you so wet?" he asked, standing quickly.

"A letter's come from Terebinthia!" she cried eagerly, waving a damp letter towards him.

"Well, open it," Peter said as he handed her his cloak.

"I can't. It's addressed to you," she said. She thrust the letter at him. "Open it! Open it!" she cried excitedly. Peter grinned as he took the letter. He had suspected Lucy's feelings for the prince of Terebinthia for a long while and had a good feeling about what was written in the letter. Sliding his finger under the seal, he unfolded the letter and began to read.

"Well, what does it say?" Lucy asked impatiently.

"Well, it's from the prince of Terebinthia, which I assume you already knew. He hopes that I am well and that Narnia is having a good year," Peter said.

"He hopes that you are well? Why would he write to you asking if you are well?" Lucy asked. Peter looked up at his sister, grinning when he saw her irritable face.

"He also asks for my permission to ask for your hand in marriage," Peter said casually.

"He what?" Lucy screamed, jumping up from her seat.

"Here, read for yourself," Peter offered, holding the letter to her. Lucy snatched it from his hand, reading it quickly. She began jumping up and down waving the letter in front of her.

"He wants to marry me! He wants us to come there to make wedding plans! Can we go? Peter, please say he can marry me!" she cried as she grabbed her brother's hand, bouncing in front of him.

"Lucy!" Peter said loudly, laughing at her. He placed his arms on her shoulders, stopping her from her bouncing. "Do you love him?" he asked.

"I do! I do!" she said quickly, smiling excitedly.

"Is he the one you want?" he asked.

"Yes! Oh, Peter please! Give me your blessing!" Lucy cried.

"Alright! You have it! Go write to your prince. Tell him the High King approves and you accept his offer if that is what you wish," Peter laughed.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Lucy squealed, throwing her arms around her brother's neck.

Later that evening Peter walked onto their sitting room's balcony that overlooked one of the gardens. The rain had stopped earlier, clearing the skies. Peter stared up at it and the glittering stars that shone with the moon. A movement below caught his eye. Laira was below leaning against the low garden wall. He watched as she leaned her chin on her hand, her hair shining in the moonlight. A low breeze caught the edge of her dress, flapping it against her legs.

"Beautiful night, isn't it?" Susan asked as she came up behind him, leaning on the edge of the balcony.

"Very," Peter murmured. "Where's Lucy?" Susan rolled her eyes.

"She's in her room reading that letter. Again," she said, laughing gently.

"Are you okay?" he asked, glancing sideways at her. Susan turned to him, confusion in her face, and said, "Of course. Why do you ask?"

"I just wondered, with everything that's happened, if you were okay. I know it must be hard for you with me engaged, Caspian soon to be a father, Lucy engaged, Edmund... well whatever Edmund is right now," he said. Susan sighed and smiled slightly.

"It's different, but I'm fine. Really. There's no need to worry about me," she said.

"I'm glad to hear that," Peter said, turning back to the garden.

"What of you?" Susan asked as she noticed Laira standing below.

"What do you mean?" he asked, his turn to be confused.

"I just wonder about you and your engagement. It seems to be such a whirlwind arrangement. Edmund told me that on your voyage from Calormen you spoke of proposing to her; you'd only known her a week at that point. I've really grown to like Laira and would be very happy to have her as a sister-in-law, but not if you're sacrificing your happiness for her. I know you have feelings for her. I've seen it in the way you look at her, how you act when you're around her. But I also know how noble you tend to get, how rash your behavior is when you want to help; do you really want her for your wife or are you just trying to save her?" Susan asked gently, placing her hand over her brother's.

"Su, maybe that's how it was at first. That night when she came to me and told me she'd killed Brin, after I got over my anger at the situation, I realized how helpless she was. Aside from being completely able to defend herself, that is. I didn't know if she would be accepted back in Archenland, if her parents would still want her, if her country would still respect her. All I could think was that I wanted... needed to help her. She reminded me of you when you returned from Tashbaan and your experience with Rabadash. She seemed broken and empty somehow," Peter said.

"And you needed to fix her," Susan said quietly.

"Aslan help me, I did. I spent time with her, trying to protect her and get to know her. She quickly showed me that she wasn't the annoying brat of a girl I thought her to be when I first met her, nor was she the vapid vain princess we met when we visited Anvard all those years ago. For the first time since I became High King I finally felt like here was someone who understood everything I go through, someone who I can finally not worry about whether I'm too hard or too irrational or too... kingly, I suppose," he said.

"Peter, you've never had to worry about those things with us. You know that," Susan said.

"But I do! I worry about them all the time. It's lessened, the worry, over the years as we've all grown older. In some cases, though, I still see you three as children, as my younger siblings who I have to take care of. I don't see it as a burden, of course; I never did. But even around you three, my best friends, I worry whether I'm acting like a king or a brother to you. Sometimes I can't even see the difference," he said quietly. Susan looked down at Laira and smiled.

"But Laira can. She can see both the king and the man she loves," she said.

"Laira was raised to be queen, her country's sole ruler. She understands the burdens and responsibilities that come with the position and because of this, I feel like I can be just Peter with her; not High King Peter, not big brother Peter, especially not temper-tantrum throwing Peter, but the person that I don't get to be very often. And she gets to be just Laira with me. I didn't fall in love with Princess Laira anymore than she fell in love with King Peter. I, for one, think that's pretty nice for a change," he said, grinning down at Laira. Susan was silent for a while, stealing glances at her brother from the corner of her eye.

"I know you want to say something," Peter muttered.

"Just this: if you truly love her and are truly happy with her, then you have my blessing. Go and marry her, make each other happy, give me lots of nieces and nephews to spoil rotten," she said. Peter grinned and rolled his eyes, nudging his sister with his elbow.

"Thank you, Susan. Your opinion really does mean a lot to me," he said.

"I know," she teased.

* * *

Lucy rolled over on her bed, clutching the letter from Terebinthia to her chest, a wide, silly smile on her face. While her life was filled with happy moments and memories, the one she was experiencing at the moment was one of the happiest yet. _Married_, she thought, her heart fluttering at just thinking the word. She lifted the letter again, scanning it until she came to her favorite line of the letter.

"King Peter," it read. "I would like to make an offer of marriage to Queen Lucy. I have found her to be a wonderful woman and an ideal match in every way."

She thought back to the times she had spent with the prince, his handsome face smiling at her, his melodic voice telling her how well she danced and how beautiful she looked. He was uncommonly kind and caring, always polite and attentive. _I think a summer wedding, with Peacocks! And garlands in my hair!_ she thought, picturing how she would walk down the aisle to her prince. A quick knock on her door pulled her out of her fantasizing. Flipping over on her stomach, she stuffed the letter underneath her and called, "Come in!" Edmund poked his head in, a grin on his face.

"Still reading that letter, Lu?" he teased.

"Oh, Edmund, stop it," she said, blushing slightly. Edmund chuckled and walked further into the room, sitting in one of the arm chairs near her bed.

"I'm sorry. Apparently G used to do that with my letters, so if that's what you're doing in here, I guess you must really be in love," he said.

"I believe I am. He's so wonderful, don't you think?" she asked, her dreamy expression returning to her face as she leaned her chin on her hand. Edmund snorted.

"Actually, I think I hated the little... the prince the first time I saw him. He was dancing with G and... well, at that point I think I hated every man who danced with her," he said.

"He does dance divinely, doesn't he?" she asked.

"Lucy, really. You're acting worse than Susan when she's in love with someone. Can't one of you act like a normal woman instead of a silly love-sick girl?" Edmund complained.

"I'm not acting like that!" Lucy said indignantly, pushing herself up quickly.

"Yes you are. The Lucy I know wouldn't be mooning over someone like you are. The Lucy I know would be, oh, I don't know... getting everyone worked up as you got ready for your trip or driving us all mad with your constant excitement," he said.

"Do I really do all that?" Lucy asked worriedly. Edmund grinned.

"No," he said. Lucy let out a little screech as she picked up her pillow and threw it at Edmund. The pillow caught him in the face; as he pulled it away from him, he glared at Lucy over the edge of the pillow. Her face struggled to cover up a smile, her mischievous eyes twinkling.

"I'm going to get you for that," Edmund said as he slowly rose out of his chair. Lucy scrambled off her bed, edging her way to the door as Edmund stalked her, the pillow raised and ready to fly. Lucy giggled as she opened the door and rushed out.

"Susan!" she cried through her laughter. Her sister walked in from the balcony just as Edmund let the pillow soar. Lucy ducked as it flew at her.

"Mmph!" Susan cried as the pillow hit her in the face.

"Susan, I'm so sorry!" Edmund said, laughing.

"You're going to pay for that, Edmund Pevensie!" Susan exclaimed as she picked up the pillow and threw it back at Edmund.

* * *

"Laira," Peter called as he walked across the garden. She turned from the stone wall, smiling as he neared. "Aren't you cold?" he asked when he reached her. A look of consideration passed over her face before she shook her head.

"I'm fine, actually. It's not too cold here," she said. Peter leaned next to her, reaching up to push a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"What brings you to the garden?" she asked.

"I saw you standing here. Thought maybe you could use some company," he answered.

"Company would be nice," she said. "When do you leave for Terebinthia? Lucy told me you were going."

"We're sailing at the end of the week. I honestly don't think it could come soon enough. Lucy's been... well, Lucy," he said.

"She's just in love. It must be nice to be that carefree and able to really feel everything you're feeling," Laira commented quietly.

"What do you mean by that?" Peter asked.

"She's young and in love. Lucy wears her heart on her sleeve and it's nearly impossible for someone like her to not fully feel every feeling she has. I envy that in some ways," Laira explained.

"In what ways?" he asked. Laira lifted his hand and placed it on her chest.

"Feel my heart. It was fine before you came up, but now it's racing so much I think it could fly out of my chest. It's like that whenever I'm around you. But I can't show it. It's no wonder your sister questions our relationship," she said.

"Which sister?" Peter asked, surprised by Laira's words.

"Your voices actually carry down here from the balcony," Laira said, winking at him. Peter groaned.

"I'm sorry about that. I hope nothing we said offended you," he apologized.

"No, not at all. I just hope you meant what you said, about us being able to be ourselves with each other. I like that about us, that I don't have to worry about differentiating between my title and myself," she said.

"I did mean it and I'm glad you agree," Peter said. He pulled Laira into his arms, wrapping them around her waist. "Now for my next question," he said, grinning down at her. "As I said, we're leaving for Terebinthia at the end of the week. Now, I know you don't like to, but I thought you might want to come with us and when we've finished there we could sail to Anvard to take you back to your parents," Peter said.

"That would be wonderful! As much as I've loved being here, I want to see my parents again. And I think I could brave sailing one more time, as long as you don't make me return to Cair Paravel by ship," she said happily.

"Believe me, I have no intention of that," Peter teased, placing a kiss on her forehead. "Come on, let's get you inside. There's no possible way you can't be cold." Laira laughed lightly as she allowed herself to be led inside. They were halfway through the gardens when the sound of laughter caught their ears. Looking up at the balcony above them, a pillow flew from it and landed a few feet in front of them. Sighing, Peter slightly shook his head and chuckled.

"The monarchy of Narnia at its finest," he said, motioning towards the balcony. Lucy stuck her head over the edge, a wide grin on her face.

"Sorry Peter! Laira!" she called.

"Aslan help your prince!" Peter called back.

"Lucy! Come back inside before you fall over!" they heard Susan call from inside. Peter saw Lucy roll her eyes as she waved to them and turned to leave.

"Oh, Susan! Don't be such a wet blanket!" they heard Edmund groan.

"Have I mentioned I love your family?" Laira asked as she leaned her head against Peter's shoulder.

"Don't speak too soon. They'll soon be your family, too," he teased as they continued their walk inside.

**Updated AN: So after sleeping on it and thinking about my little rant I left in my note last night when I posted this chapter... I felt pretty much the same way as I did when I left it. I'm realizing, though, that it's unfair to my other readers to gripe about something that's upset me, so I decided to delete that particular part of this note. I still feel the same way (and if you missed reading my rant, sorry... you can skip to the next paragraph): If you're not enjoying this, stop reading. **

**There have been way too many positive things said about Finding Grace thus far and I have too many people who have been following these stories since I began them for me to quit writing them. And, I don't want to quit, because I actually am really enjoying where this is going. It's taken a bit to get there, but that's been okay with me. But on with my original note...  
**

**I know there have been several comments about Peter... I really love Peter's personality. It was absolutely so much fun to write him Choosing Grace and I'm really enjoying writing him again. I tried touching on Peter's deeper issues in this chapter; although yes, he has numerous amounts of help ruling, he's "burdened" with responsibility that none of the others really get. He's first of all the oldest of his siblings, which I think has always put strain on him. (One of my favorite scenes from Choosing Grace was the scene where he and Edmund argue before Edmund sails with Caspian and Lucy.) Peter's constantly worrying about his siblings and their welfare, often forgetting that they're no longer children. He has to remind himself that they're adults now and more than capable of taking care of themselves, but, as with any older sibling, he still worries. Edmund sort of picks up this trait from him as he gets older, feeling the same worries towards Lucy and, in a sense, towards Susan. Peter's also High King of Narnia, which he likes to remind people of, but it's also a burdensome title. He's basically the king above all kings (not in a religious type way, of course). He takes that role seriously and, of course, struggles with that power. As I've been writing Laira, I've felt that she would have some of those same struggles that Peter has; she was raised to be queen of her country and understands the obligation she has to her people, as well as the amount of power she'll inherit. Both she and Peter were raised to think and act a certain way and present a certain image to their countries. I tried to explain this in the chapter... **

**This was a much longer note than I'd expected to write... but we're all used to my ramblings. Also, I know I haven't focused on Lucy that much, esp considering this story is supposed to be about her as well. What I've decided (really to make it easier on myself and people reading this) is that Peter's going to be the main focus of the first part and then Lucy will be the main focus on the second part, which will hopefully be longer and more in-depth. (haven't I already mentioned that? My bad if I repeated myself) This part of the story was really already "written" in Choosing Grace... this is just an expansion of it. Just, as you're reading and if you feel so inclined to review, keep in mind that this is just the very beginning. Things will develop, people will develop, and you really shouldn't worry about anything. :) **


	9. Chapter 9

Lucy practically floated down the hall from her excitement. It was the day before they were to sail to Terebinthia to negotiate her engagement to the island's prince. In an attempt to make the days go by quicker, she had kept herself busy packing and preparing for their voyage. She had just left a scowling Susan in their sitting room; her older sister was becoming increasingly unbearable as her excitement grew and was growing to be more of a wet blanket (as Edmund always liked to put it) as the days went by. Finally deciding that Susan was ruining her state of euphoria, Lucy had skipped out, anxious to find someone who might share in her happiness. Turning the corner she saw Laira walking out of the library, a large book in her arm.

"Laira!" she called. Laira turned towards her and gave a small wave. Lucy hurried to her and asked, "Doing some light reading?" Laira laughed lightly and shrugged.

"Princess Georgiana suggested I become familiar with Narnia's history. I think she called it 'Narnia lessons.' She said that this particular book had several things in it about Peter," Laira explained, blushing slightly.

"I really am happy you and my brother found each other," Lucy said as she wrapped an arm around Laira's shoulders. "Let's go sit outside. I'll tell you some things about Peter that never quite made it into any book."

Later that evening Lucy began to worry as she went through her wardrobe. It had dawned on her at dinner that she had not picked out what she would wear when they made port in Terebinthia. She rushed through the meal, eating only small bites before declaring she was finished and rushing from the room. It had now grown very late and she still hadn't decided what to wear. She looked at the large pile of discarded dresses on her bed and groaned. Even her very favorite dress, which she held in her hand, didn't seemed so special anymore. Stomping over to her wardrobe again, she pulled out the bottom drawer, staring at the mess of clothing that sat in it.

"Ugh!" she said, slamming the drawer shut.

"Lucy! Go to bed, now!" Susan yelled from the other room. Lucy scowled at the door that connected her room to her sister's and stomped to it, jerking it open.

"I haven't anything to wear!" she wailed. Susan sat up in her bed and smirked at her sister.

"Just wear what you have on. I'm sure your prince will love that," she said. Lucy glanced down at the linen shift she wore and rolled her eyes.

"Susan, be serious. I'm having a crisis here!" she said. _I bet Susan never has to deal with this. She always looks beautiful no matter what she wears,_ she thought. Her heart lifted when she heard her sister sigh. She knew that sigh; whenever Susan was about to give in and make things better she would sigh dramatically and pretend that she was making a rather large sacrifice.

"You can wear my blue dress with the silver ribbons. It'll look good with your hair," she said. Lucy's face broke into a wide smile. "Now go to bed!" Susan ordered, pointing towards Lucy's room.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Lucy cried as she spun around, hurrying back to her own room.

Leaning against her closed door, she bounced excitedly against it. Things were finally perfect again. She hurried to her bed and pushed the pile of clothes onto the floor. Hopping into her bed, she pulled her covers tightly up to her chin and closed her eyes, willing herself to sleep. Moments later, she thought she heard noises coming from Susan's room. Leaning up she tried to listen harder, but the noises sounded muffled, as if they really weren't there and it was her imagination playing tricks on her. Putting it out of her mind, she lay back down and tried to sleep. _The sooner I sleep, the sooner it will be tomorrow!_ she thought, snuggling deeper in her bed.

Peter woke early the next morning. Walking to the window he frowned when he noticed the weather. Fall had set in earlier than usual, the sky grey and cloudy. He opened the window and shivered slightly as the cool breeze blew into his room. _I hope this doesn't affect our voyage,_ he thought, his mind drifting to Laira and her seasickness. Peter shut the window and began to dress. When he had finished he stepped out of his room into the sitting room. Susan sat in the back corner, curled up in a chair still in her nightgown.

"Susan? Is something wrong?" he asked worriedly. She looked up, her eyes filled with an emotion Peter didn't understand.

"Everything's fine," she said softly, leaning her head on her knees. Peter walked to his sister, crouching in front of her.

"Are you sure? You look exhausted," he said. Susan gave him a small smile.

"A little advice, don't ever tell a woman she looks exhausted, even if she does. But you're right. I'm just a little tired. Lucy kept me up all night," she said. Peter chuckled and stood.

"We leave soon, so you probably should get dressed. You can sleep once we get on the ship, okay?" he said, gently ruffling her hair.

An hour later, Peter followed his sisters to the docks where they were to board the ship to Terebinthia. Laira walked beside him, her hand laced through the crook of his arm.

"Excited?" he asked.

"Nervous is more like it," she replied.

"You'll be fine. If you get sick, you get sick. I know my first time making this trip I could barely hold my head up. We'll take care of you," he promised, giving her hand an affectionate squeeze.

"Is something wrong with Susan? She seems a little gloomy this morning," Laira said.

"She's tired. Apparently Lucy kept her awake all night," Peter chuckled.

"Something else seems wrong. I don't think she's just tired" Laira argued. Peter started at his sister. Susan wore the tight smile on her face that he knew well as Lucy chattered happily. Shaking his head slightly, he said, "Maybe you're right, but we'll just let her come to us if something is wrong. Sometimes Susan gets into little moods and works it out herself in the end. Don't worry," he said reassuringly. When they reached the dock, Laira glanced at the ship.

"Maybe it would be a good idea for me to go ahead and board. That way I'll get myself acclimated to the ship before we sail," she said, pulling her hand out of Peter's arm.

"That sounds like a very smart idea," Peter teased. He pulled her back to him, giving her a quick kiss before she left. "We won't be long; we're just waiting for Edmund and we'll follow behind you," he said.

Laira climbed the gangplank, her hands tightly gripping the rope rail. She could feel the sway of the plank beneath her. Why did I agree to come? her mind wailed. When she stepped on board the deck, the ship's captain nodded to her.

"Your highness, welcome aboard," he said jovially, offering his hand to her. She accepted it, allowing him to help her walk around the large ropes and crates on the deck. "His majesty, King Peter, has told me you do not enjoy sailing," the captain said. Laira laughed.

"I actually do enjoy it. It's my stomach that has other feelings towards sailing," she said.

"Well, shall I share an old sailor's trick to helping a sea sick stomach?" the captain suggested. He led her to the edge of the deck and pointed to the horizon. "If you begin to feel sick, stand here and look at the horizon. Focus all your might on to it; the steady horizon will help to ease your mal de mer," he explained.

"He's right, you know," Peter said as he walked up behind Laira.

"Your majesty," the captain said, bowing his head to Peter.

"Captain, I believe we're ready to sail whenever you are," he said as he shook the man's hand.

The ship reached Terebinthia days later. The Narnians were met with great fanfare, the entire Terebinthian royal family eager to greet them. Peter chuckled at his sisters as they prepared to depart from the ship. Susan grabbed Lucy's arm, giving her sister a pleading look, as she said, "Please, please, Lucy; try to behave like a queen of Narnia!" Lucy rolled her eyes and jerked her arm from her sister's.

"Susan, I am a queen of Narnia. However I behave, I'll be behaving like one," she said irritably. Susan pursed her lips before breaking into a smile.

"Alright, you win. Behave like your normal charming self," she laughed. Lucy departed the ship first, surprising her siblings at how queenly she really was. She gracefully walked down the gangplank and greeted her new soon-to-be in-laws with more poise than any of them had ever seen her show. Peter leaned to Susan and whispered, "I suppose it's about time."

Laira was in awe of the island country of Terebinthia; the first week of their visit flew by for her as she spent hours each day exploring the island with Peter. They walked through the forests, seeing the large trees the island was named after and marveling at the size of them. In the afternoons Peter would take her to the beach near the Terebinthian castle and they would walk along the shore and play in the surf. Peter spent time in the mornings with the king and prince of Terebinthia, negotiating the terms of Lucy's engagement. While he was busy with that, Laira spent time with Lucy, the two women talking about their upcoming weddings.

They had been on the island nearly ten days when Edmund asked Laira to visit the market with him.

"I need your help," he said.

"Of course, King Edmund. What can I do?" she said.

"You know, if you're going to be my sister-in-law in a few months, I think it's time you stopped calling me King Edmund," he teased. Laira laughed.

"I'm sorry, Edmund. I wasn't sure if it was alright and being a princess, it's not my place to assume you wouldn't mind me calling you that," she said.

"Well, I don't mind at all. In fact, I actually prefer it. That goes for Georgiana, too. You don't have to call her princess; she'll be your sister-in-law soon after you'll be mine," he said.

"You're going to ask her to marry you? How wonderful!" Laira exclaimed.

"I am. I just need to get a ring for her and thought you could help me," Edmund said.

"I would be glad to," she said happily.

Edmund and Laira spent hours shopping for a ring. The royal jewelers showed him every ring they had ever created, none of which he liked. Laira pointed out several different ones at a local shop, some made from exotic colored stones that had been polished to gleam while others were glittering gem stones; Edmund rejected every one. After losing count of how many times Edmund had rejected a ring, she began to become irritated with the king.

"Perhaps if I knew what you were looking for I could better help?" she asked, struggling to hold her patience.

"I want something that looks like her. A ring that she would understand its meaning. Your ring, for example, while beautiful would mean very little to G. She would love one like it, I have no doubt of that. But I want one that means something, that symbolizes something that's important to us," he tried to explain. Laira looked down at her ring, the large diamond winking back at her.

"I think mine means something," she said quietly. Edmund's eyes widened as he quickly tried to placate her.

"I don't mean to say that it doesn't. Peter gave it to you because he wants you to be his wife. Of course your ring means something. I only meant that I want to give G a ring that says something to her about our love the way your ring says something to you about the love between you and my brother," he said. Laira laughed and patted his hand.

"It's okay. I understand what you mean," she said, hoping to ease his worries. Edmund sighed as he looked at the few rings that were spread on the counter of the shop they were in.

"None of these will do. Maybe I'll find something when we get to Anvard. Peter says there's lots of places there," he said reluctantly. "Your majesty," the shopkeeper called as Laira and Edmund walked to the door. They turned.

"I may have something you might like. My wife, Aslan keep her, designed a few rings before she died several years ago. They are a little unconventional, not hardly what I would think would be appropriate for a momentous occasion as this, but I would like to show you them before you leave," he said.

"Please, show me," Edmund said as he walked back to the counter. The man nodded and disappeared behind a curtained door in the back of his shop. When he returned he carried a small wooden trunk and set it on the counter.

"Tell us about your wife," Laira said gently.

"My wife was more beautiful than any woman I had ever seen when I first met her. She agreed to marry me for some reason; she had scores of suitors before we met. We lived here for twenty years before she became ill. The sea air, we suspected. I urged her to move, to travel with me to the mainland where the climate might have helped. But our family is here, our children and theirs; she wouldn't talk of leaving. She designed these pieces during the last months of her life, claiming that they represented our home," he told them.

When he opened the trunk, Laira gasped at the jewelry in it. Resting on a deep purple cushion sat four pieces of jewelry. A brooch that was deep set with green stones, emeralds and jade, sat in the very center; it reminded Laira of the tall terebinths that grew on the island. There was a necklace that looked like the deep blue ocean, its stones set in a silvery metal that seemed to move like the crashing waves. The last two pieces were rings; one a fiery orange stone surrounded by deep red rubies, the other a large diamond surrounded by glittering orange stones.

"That's it," Edmund murmured, picking up the diamond ring.

"My wife said it was the-" the shopkeeper started.

"The rising sun," Edmund said, a wide smile slowly growing on his face.

"Your majesty has a good eye," the shopkeeper nodded.

"G loves sunrises. She says they're magic," he explained to Laira.

"I'll take it." Edmund handed the shopkeeper several gold coins, surprising the man with the amount. "Thank you for this. Your wife had wonderful taste," he added as he and Laira turned to leave. Laira stopped as she reached the door, turning to the man before leaving.

"Sir, I hope you won't sell the rest of those pieces. They're too beautiful to be bought by just anyone," she said.

"Your highness is correct. I had not planned on selling these, but something about King Edmund and the way he spoke of his love made me want to share them with him," the shopkeeper said, smiling at her.

"Thank you again," Laira said as she left the shop.

"Well, I think I did rather well and that G will love this," Edmund said when Laira joined him.

"I think you're absolutely right. Georgiana will be ecstatic when she sees her new ring and hears your proposal," Laira agreed.

**AN: This chapter and the next one got me thinking about my favorite scenes from Choosing Grace and Receiving Grace; both chapters have crossovers from CG and RG. So, I decided to share my top five favorite scenes with you! **

**Choosing Grace**

**5) The scene where Susan and Peter are fighting in Chapter 7 and she gets distracted by Caspian/The scene where Peter and Edmund fight after Edmund finds out Caspian wants him to travel with him (those two scenes were a tie)**  
**4) Edmund's letters to Georgie and his trying out different nicknames**  
**3) The flashbacks in Chapters 18, 19, and 21**  
**2) When Edmund returns in Chapter 18**  
**1) The bedroom scene in Chapter 23**

**Receiving Grace**

**5) Susan's meltdown at the funeral when she tries to stop the burial of her siblings**  
**4) All of Susan's wardrobe issues **  
**3) Susan's conversation with "ghost" Lucy in their bedroom**  
**2) Robert's issues with Susan's umbrella**  
**1) When Robert gives Susan her house**

**Wow, that was harder than I thought! I love so many moments I really should have come up with a top ten instead of five! My overall favorite scene out of both stories, because it was above and beyond a top five list, was the Epilogue of Choosing Grace. I don't care how many times I re-read it, it still makes me extremely happy! But now I'm curious... what have been some of your favorite scenes? Obviously I'm not asking for your top five list... Just trying to create some dialogue! **


	10. Chapter 10

The rain started when the Narnian ship was almost one hundred miles from Terebinthia on its way to Archenland. It was a soft drizzle at first, misting across the water early in the morning. By noon it had turned into a steady rain pattering on the deck of the ship. The real storm came mid-afternoon. The sky darkened, turning it and the ocean nearly black. The waves rolled beneath the ship, tossing it to and fro as the crew hurried across the deck securing the riggings. It lasted for hours, the relentless sea continuing to beat against the ship.

Peter lay in his hammock, an arm thrown over his face as he tried to drown out the noise of the storm. He had only come back to his cabin an hour ago; with the violent storm Laira had gotten sicker than she had been all day and he had spent several hours with her, trying to help her through her sickness. _I'm never taking her anywhere again,_ he thought grumpily. Edmund had teased him earlier about it, rubbing in his face the fact that Georgie never got sick while sailing and boasting of the trips he planned to take her on once they were married.

A pounding on his cabin door alerted him, the surprise nearly causing him to flip out of his hammock. Edmund, who had been asleep on the hammock below, also sat up quickly and stumbled to the floor to open the door. The ship's captain stood at the door, rain beating down on him and blowing into the room.

"Your majesties, we need help up top. Please hurry!" he cried, his voice nearly drowned out by the storm. Peter jumped from his bunk and followed Edmund out into the storm. He was instantly drenched and cold down to his bones the second he stepped out of his cabin.

"Peter! The sail!" Edmund yelled as he pointed to the main sail that had come loose. They ran to it, grabbing the flailing rope.

"Pull, Ed!" Peter yelled, heaving the rope towards him. Edmund pulled hard, bringing the rope closer to the mast and looping it around a pole. Peter continued to pull with all his strength, his arms burning as the sail blew in the wind.

"Better let it go, your majesties!" a crew member yelled. Peter grunted as a sharp wind caught the sail, pulling him slightly forward. He turned to Edmund and nodded; they both let go of the rope, letting it flap against the storm. Edmund turned back towards the cabin. Peter saw the dark look pass over his brother's face. Edmund yelled, "Susan! Lucy!" Peter turned quickly towards the cabin, his face scowling when he saw his sisters stumbling across the deck to them.

"What are you two doing up here? Go below! Now!" he bellowed as he stormed towards them, Edmund following close behind. His scowled deeper when he neared Susan; her face was determined, a look he knew she gave him when she was intent on ignoring him. _Please, Aslan, don't let her be difficult tonight,_ he silently prayed.

* * *

Lucy walked down the aisle to the sound of fauns playing their Narnian melodies. Her white dress she wore billowed as a warm summer breeze blew against her. Garlands of flowers hung down from the flower crown she wore over her loose hair. She nearly danced when she saw her prince standing at the front of the room waiting for her and smiling handsomely.

A sudden jolt shook her, startling her as she felt the ground disappear beneath her. With a hard thud she landed on the cabin floor beneath her, waking suddenly. Disoriented she cried, "What's happened?" Susan climbed carefully down from her bunk. _How did she stay on hers?_ Lucy thought.

"The storm has gotten worse," Susan said. She leaned down and offered Lucy a hand, pulling her up. Lucy grabbed onto Susan's bunk to steady herself. Sleepily, she asked, "Where are Peter and Edmund?" Susan looked worriedly at their cabin door.

"They're up top helping. It's all hands on deck. With the exception of us, that is," she explained. Lucy looked back to her bunk. The one below hers, Laira's, was empty.

"Where's Laira?" she asked, glancing back at her sister. Susan rolled her eyes slightly.

"You know her. She's been attached to the chamber pot for hours, sick from the storm," Susan said. Lucy nearly fell over as the ship rocked again, her feet still unsteady. A low moan came from the adjoining room. Lucy glanced worriedly at the door, wondering how Laira was faring.

"Should we go check on her?" Lucy asked nervously.

"Go right ahead," Susan said, holding out her arm towards the door. Another moan came from the room. Biting her bottom lip, Lucy said, "I think she'll be fine."

Another jolt shook the room, the sound of the ship creaking making an ominous noise. Susan sighed. Lucy looked at her sister, her eyes widening at the dark look on her face.

"I'm going up. I can't stand being down here any longer," Susan said. Lucy gasped quietly.

"Susan, you can't!" she cried, grabbing her sister's arm tightly, hoping to keep her from leaving. Susan pulled her arm out of Lucy's grasp.

"You stay here, I'll be right back. I promise," Susan assured her. Lucy watched as Susan jerked open their cabin door. The rain blew in the room, soaking the front of it. As she stepped into the storm, Lucy saw she was instantly drenched. Seconds later, the door slammed behind Susan. Lucy stared at the closed door for several moments, listening to the sound of the howling storm behind it, before giving a loud noise of frustration.

"I don't think so, Susan Pevensie," she growled as she quickly walked to the door and pulled it open. She saw her sister several feet from their cabin, her hand shielding her eyes against the storm. Lucy hurried to her, taking care not to slip as the wind blew against her, crying, "Do you honestly think I'm going to let you go out here alone?" Susan spun around.

"Lucy! I told you to stay below!" Susan screamed, her voice barely carrying over the loud wind. Lucy stepped closer to her sister, linking her arm tightly through Susan's.

"I'm not going to sit by while my sister nearly gets herself killed!" Lucy yelled back.

"Come on then!" Susan yelled exasperatedly.

The two women stumbled across the deck, helping each other as they slipped in the rain. Lucy spotted her brothers across the deck fighting with a loose sail.

"There they are!" she cried, pointing to them.

"Better let it go, your Majesties!" they heard one of the crew members yell. Peter and Edmund both let the rope they were pulling on go, the sail flailing wildly in the wind. Lucy gasped when she saw Edmund turn to them, his dark face visible through the near blinding rain.

"Susan! Lucy!" he yelled angrily. Peter turned towards them, his face equally as dark as Edmund's.

"What are you two doing up here? Go below! Now!" Peter bellowed as he stormed to his sisters. Edmund followed closely behind. Lucy began to turn but stopped when she heard her sister yell, "No!" Lucy was certain her face matched Peter's shocked expression.

"That is an order from the High King, Susan. Go below!" Peter yelled, grabbing his sister by the arm. Susan jerked herself from Lucy's arm, squaring off against her brother.

"What difference does it make now?" Susan cried. Lucy had backed away from her two oldest siblings. The anger she saw in both their faces made her nervous; their arguments were rare, but always somewhat terrifying to her. The storm made it even worse. Peter squinted at his sister in confusion.

"What?" Peter asked loudly.

"This is it for us, Peter! Can't you see that? Would you send us to be separated?" Susan screamed hysterically. Lucy saw that tears were beginning to flow down her face. Peter growled in frustration and pointed to Lucy; turning to Edmund he yelled, "Get Lucy! We need to get below!"

"Ouch, Edmund!" Lucy cried as her brother's hand grabbed her arm.

"Come on!" he yelled, his voice barely sounding over the storm. He began pulling her towards the cabin, helping her as she slipped. She turned back to where they had stood, seeing Peter still struggling with Susan.

"Susan, let's go!" she heard Peter yell.

"Edmund, let me go! They're not coming!" Lucy cried, struggling against her brother.

"Lucy, stop it!" he said loudly in her ear. Lucy saw her sister look up at the sky and followed her gaze. A tiny break in the storm had appeared, the stars shining brightly through it.

"Why?" Susan screamed. Lucy and Edmund both quickly looked at their sister. "Why would you do this to us? Why are you ending us like this?" she continued to scream. Peter wrapped his arms around Susan, pulling her roughly towards the cabin.

"Susan, now!" he commanded. In her ear Lucy heard Edmund swear, his grip on her arm tightening as his arm wrapped around her midsection.

"Look out!" he cried.

* * *

The ship tossed back and forth, Laira's stomach with it. She lay in her bunk, closing her eyes as she fought wave after wave of nausea. Outside the storm screamed furiously. Inhaling deeply, Laira climbed out of her bed quickly and hurried to the next room. She was sick into the pot that Lucy had placed in there earlier. A cold sweat covered her as she heaved. When she had finished she wiped her mouth and reached for the small pitcher of water that sat on a low table, taking a sip from it. The cool water helped to ease her stomach as the ship pitched sharply beneath her. From the other room she heard a loud thud.

"What's happened?" she heard Lucy cry. Another wave of nausea overtook her as she reached for the pot again. In between her bouts of sickness she heard the murmuring of Susan and Lucy's voices followed by the slamming of a door. Seconds later she heard a second slamming of a door. Struggling to push herself off the floor, she took another sip of the water before walking out of the room. She gasped slightly when she saw both Susan and Lucy were gone.

_Surely they didn't go out in that storm_, her mind screamed as she grasped onto the bunk to prevent herself from tumbling over. She sat on her bunk, trying to collect herself for several minutes. From behind the door she could hear the storm, louder than it had been only moments ago. She waited for Susan and Lucy to return, hoping they were trying to be safe on deck. Moments passed as Laira's heart beat accelerated, her nerves becoming more and more frazzled when they didn't return. Straightening her back, she stood determinedly and made her way to the door, pulling it open.

A torrent of rain instantly soaked her, her nightgown sticking to her body. Shivering, she made her way onto the deck. Several feet in front of her she saw Edmund and Lucy, his hand grasping her arm.

"Edmund let me go! They're not coming!" she heard Lucy cry. Laira squinted past them and saw Susan struggling in Peter's arms. She couldn't make out what they were saying over the storm, but Susan's face was twisted in grief as she screamed up to the sky. Laira saw Lucy and Edmund both glance up and she followed their gazes. A break in the sky came through the dark clouds, the tiny twinkles of stars peeking out. A loud crash caught her attention. She whipped her head to the right and saw a large wave over the side of the ship.

"Look out!" she heard Edmund cry.

"No!" Laira screamed stepping towards the four siblings. The wave broke over the edge of the ship, knocking the feet out from under Edmund and Lucy. She lost sight of Peter and Susan as she watched Edmund and Lucy slide across the deck and over the edge. Laira screamed again as she stared at the now empty deck. A bolt of lightening crackled through the sky, illuminating it ominously.

"Fire!" she heard a voice yell. Running across the deck she saw the mast blazing as it burned. Lightening had struck it, setting it on fire immediately.

"Move!" someone yelled, pushing her aside as she heard a loud crack. She landed on her stomach and quickly flipped over, the mast now lying on the deck, fire spreading as the rain continued to pour. Laira scrambled to her feet, slipping on the wet surface. A sudden gush of water hit her from behind, knocking her over and sliding her across the deck. The ship leaned, the stern slowly sinking. She hit the side of the boat and grasped the rail, struggling to right herself. Another wave knocked into her, the stinging salt water blinding her eyes. A sharp pain hit her right temple, causing her to loosen her grip on the rail before her world went black. She felt herself sinking into the darkness, the throbbing pain in her temple lessening the deeper she sank before finally disappearing.

**AN: This is also one of my favorite scenes from Receiving Grace... FYI!**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: I had hopes of making this chapter a little longer, but absolutely loved ending it the way I did, so I left it alone. This chapter, along with probably the next two, will be much shorter than you all are used to (from me). Also, I had a question... For all you literary types (I haven't had an English or Lit class in many many years, and I'm really just too lazy to Google it...) if you're reading a prequel of sorts (as this one partly is), and it's a prequel to a book that's already been written, is it really foreshadowing if you already know what's going to happen? **

Edmund kicked wildly against the stormy sea, his arm staying tight around Lucy as they struggled to reach the surface. The water fought back, keeping them below, when Edmund felt a strong hand grasp his shoulder. Squinting under the water, the saltiness of it stinging his eyes, he saw the outline of Peter who was holding onto Susan. Lucy's foot kicked against his ankle reminding him to keep swimming.

Turning his head towards the surface, he noticed the brightness of sunlight pouring through. Edmund began kicking harder, paddling furiously with his free hand as he and Lucy neared the surface. He could feel Peter and Susan kicking near them.

When Edmund finally broke through the surface, he gulped in air as he pulled Lucy with him, holding her tightly. Lucy had never been a strong swimmer; his skills had never been that great either. It was Susan who was the family's swimmer. He heard his brother and older sister break through and turned towards the sound. Peter and Susan began paddling towards him and Lucy.

"Are you two alright?" Peter asked breathlessly. Edmund nodded and glanced at Lucy who was nodding as well.

"The water! It's fresh!" Susan exclaimed as she licked her lips.

"So it is!" Peter said, licking his lips as well.

"No!" cried Lucy. Edmund felt her grip on him tighten.

"What is it?" Peter asked, turning quickly to his youngest sister.

"We're children again! We're back in England!" Lucy said as she began to sob.

"Where are we?" Susan asked as she turned in the water.

"Why, we're in that pond that was a ways from the train station!" Peter said.

"Let's get back to the station," Edmund said gravely as he began to paddle towards the surface.

"Edmund, stop! I can't move that fast!" Lucy cried as she struggled to paddle with her brother.

"Pete, can you help her?" Edmund asked, helping Lucy swim to their older brother. Lucy wrapped her arms around Peter's neck as they and Susan watched Edmund begin to swim back to the bank of the pond.

"Poor Edmund," Lucy said softly, her own heart breaking over their return from their home.

* * *

Peter jogged over to where his brother sat, approaching him with caution when he observed his scowling face. Edmund was sitting against a tree, his knees drawn up and his arms resting on them.

"Hey, Edmund, we need a bowler. Get up and come play!" Peter suggested a little too eagerly, hoping to pull his brother out of the mood he had been in for weeks.

"No thanks," Edmund muttered.

"Ed, you've got to stop moping around. You've been at it for weeks and it's not accomplishing anything," Peter advised. Edmund looked up at his brother, his eyes flashing.

"How can you be like that, so happy? How can you just go back to your life like nothing's happened?" Edmund asked angrily. Peter sighed and sat down by his brother.

"Look. We've been through this before. It's not like this is our first time to come back from Narnia. We were upset for a bit before, sad that we left Narnia, but then we got up and enjoyed our lives here. It's time you started doing that again. People are beginning to wonder about you," Peter said.

"Do you really think I care what they're saying? This isn't like last time when we returned from Narnia. G is still there, without me. The way time is there she's probably dead by now! I never got to marry her, Peter. I never even got to ask her if she would!" Edmund said, thumping his hand on his knee.

"Is that what has you worried?" Peter asked quietly. Edmund was silent. "Ed, you know Georgiana knew you loved her, more than any of us have ever loved, I wager. I don't doubt she knew that you wanted her to be your wife," Peter said, hoping to comfort his brother.

"I guess your right," Edmund reluctantly agreed.

"I know I'm right. I am High King, after all," Peter joked.

"Ha," Edmund retorted, grinning. Peter slapped him on the back and stood, holding his hand to his brother.

"Now, come on and bowl for us and stop being a mope," he said. Edmund rolled his eyes and grasped his brother's hand, pulling himself up. The two brothers walked to the cricket pitch on the edge of their school's grounds where a group of boys stood preparing to start their match.

* * *

"Susan!"

Susan woke to someone shaking her arm. Blinking in the darkness she rolled over and peered at the person who had shaken her.

"What?" she croaked.

"Your sister's roommate is here. Apparently something's wrong with Lucy," the voice hissed. Susan sat up, nearly knocking her roommate Millicent over. "Watch it!" she whispered.

"Sorry," Susan mumbled as she felt around the floor with her feet, looking for her slippers. "Anne?" she called to her sister's roommate.

"I'm here," the girl squeaked nervously.

"What's wrong with Lucy? Shouldn't you have gone to your head girl rather than come get me?" Susan asked. _Where are those blasted slippers?_ she thought, dropping to her knees to reach under her bed. Her hand ran over the soft leather of her slippers and she pulled them out, slipping them on to her feet.

"I tried but she said Lucy would be alright. It isn't like this is the first time this has happened," Anne said. Susan sighed deeply and grabbed her bathrobe. As she slipped her arms into it and tied the belt around her waist she tried to remember how she managed to calm Lucy last time.

Since they had returned from Narnia, Lucy had been having nightmares nearly every night. She woke from them crying, sometimes uncontrollably. The first years' head girl had tried to help in the beginning, but eventually had given up and had gone to the school's headmistress. Susan had just spoken with her the other day, assuring her that these episodes would end. The headmistress had suggested that perhaps Lucy was too young to be away at boarding school and that maybe she should return home and try again the next year. Susan had argued that Lucy was old enough and was fine, that she could help her younger sister to stop having her nightmares. _She was a queen, after all,_ she had thought angrily.

"Let's go," Susan said to Anne. The two girls quickly walked down the hall to the first years' dormitory. Anne opened the door to it, peeking in before walking inside. Susan followed closely behind. When they reached Anne and Lucy's dorm, she opened the door. Lucy was curled up on her bed, tears streaming down her face as she cried uncontrollably.

"Lucy," Susan said gently, going to sit next to her sister.

"I'm going to go sleep in the living room," Anne said, her voice slightly cross.

"Thank you, Anne," Susan said as she brushed her sister's hair back with her hand. When she heard the door shut behind her she asked, "What is it this time Lucy?" Lucy sniffled and wiped her eyes with her hand as she tried to control herself.

"I was walking down the aisle at my wedding and a wave suddenly came and knocked me over," Lucy replied.

"And that's what has you waking people up in the middle of the night? You didn't act this way when it actually happened," Susan said.

"I was older and braver then," Lucy whimpered.

"Lucy, look at me," Susan said. "Your age has never stopped you from being brave. What's different now?" Lucy sat up, her eyes hard and brow furrowed. Although she was only 9, her eyes had the look of an adult, the severity of her look startling Susan.

"I think I've lost my bravery. I keep imagining what we've left behind. Before, when we returned, we didn't know what bad could happen; look what did! Our kingdom was invaded; the Narnians were nearly destroyed… what if that happens again? Not to mention everyone on the ship most likely perished in the storm. Our soon to be sister-in-law was on that ship! Laira could be dead! And Georgiana, who was already a sister to me, could be dead as well. This is so much worse now than it was before," Lucy said, her voice quivering as her tears began again. Susan sighed.

"Lucy, it's very possible everything you said could be true. Narnia could be invaded again, Laira probably did die, and the way time changes in Narnia, Georgiana will eventually die as well," she started. Lucy gasped, her eyes widening. "But you forget: Caspian is still there and is a great king. He will _not_ let anyone overtake Narnia again. If Laira did die in the storm, then it was surely her time and she's now in Aslan's Country. Georgiana is strong and I'm sure led a full and happy life, no matter where she is now. You have to be brave again, Lucy, and remember that Aslan will help us and Narnia. You were the one who always had unswerving faith; be brave enough not to lose it," Susan said, placing her hands on either side of Lucy's face. Lucy nodded slightly and leaned forward to wrap her arms around her sister. Susan hugged her younger sister tightly, letting Lucy's tears soak the shoulder of her robe. She heard Lucy mumble something. Pulling her back, Susan asked, "What did you say?"

"I missed my own wedding," Lucy said sadly.

"Oh, Lucy, you're only nine years old! We're just children again, entirely too young to think about those things," Susan said as she stroked Lucy's hair. Lucy frowned.

"That's easy for you to say. You're prettier than me," she said. Susan chuckled.

"Well, be that as it may, you know exactly what you'll look like as an adult, seeing as how you've already been one twice. And need I remind you of the scores of suitors who sought out your hand?" Susan teased. Lucy giggled.

"I suppose you're right," she agreed.

"Now, it's getting very late. What do you say I stay in here and we go to sleep?" Susan suggested. Lucy nodded and lay down, Susan crawling onto the other side of her bed.

"Susan?" Lucy asked once the two girls were settled.

"Yes, Lucy?" Susan asked, stifling a yawn.

"I know you haven't done it since I was a little girl, but will you tell me a story?" Lucy asked.

Susan smiled and said, "You're still a little girl, but alright. Once, there were four children, two boys and two girls. They were brothers and sisters and loved each other very much…"


	12. Chapter 12

_Dear Peter,_

_I hope you are doing well. Things here have been fine. Mum wrote me and said you were beginning to study for a rather big exam. I hope that goes well for you. School is the same as usual: dreadful. I suppose I'll never be quite the scholar you are._

_My real reason for writing is to see how you and Edmund are. I know you both must feel simply awful now that we're back in England. I know I should have written sooner, but I was worried how you two would react if I brought up Laira and Georgiana. I miss them both so much. I suspect it's even worse for you._

_Lucy is having a really difficult time with being home in England. I worry for her, but I'm not sure how much more I can stand having to pretend that I'm fine and be strong for her. She has these dreams and wakes up nearly uncontrollable with tears. You know that isn't like Lucy at all! She claims to have lost her bravery and I feel like her faith in Narnia is wavering. I'm not sure I can continue on encouraging her to keep that faith; I feel like mine might be slipping as well, no matter how much I try to hold on to it. Peter, you have to write to her. Tell her things will be fine because I no longer know if they are._

_How are you doing with losing Laira? And how is Edmund doing? I really worry for you both and wish we hadn't had to leave each other to go back to school so soon after we returned. Please hug yourself for me and give Edmund my love. I hope you are both holding up and I look forward to seeing you at Christmas!_

_Love,_  
_Susan_

_P.S. Please write to Lucy!_

* * *

_Dear Susan,_

_I'm glad I got your letter! Mum wrote to me also and said that you were doing alright in your classes. I suppose that's her way of saying you weren't failing! (Only joking, Su. Don't get yourself in a snit.) I have started to study for the exam. Not much to say about it other than I'm quite tired of staying up until all hours of the night stuck in the dusty old library! You know you could be a scholar like me if you would just apply yourself instead of worrying about so many other frivolous things._

_Edmund has gotten better over the weeks with losing Georgiana and being back home in Narnia. He was always a pouting kind of kid, but this is different. For weeks he seemed to only go through the motions of the day, never focusing on anything or talking to anyone other than me. I finally managed to pull him out of his mope, but sometimes I still see that hurt and saddened look in his eyes and I worry he's going to fall back into the depression he was in when we first got to school._

_I will write to Lucy like you asked. Hopefully I can help somehow. That really just does not sound like her. I know it's hard, Susan, but you have to keep up a strong front for her. She looks up to you so much and whatever you're dealing with you need to work through. I know how hard it is, staying happy despite knowing that I'll never return to my home, but I know Edmund needs me to be strong for him since he's having such a hard time. You have to do the same for Lucy._

_I miss Laira, of course; more than I've missed anyone in my entire life. I feel like something is eating me inside, anger and fury for losing her. It's been hard to not let that show, but I know that she would not have wanted me to act that way. It's too hard to think about it, much less to write about it, so I'll stop now._

_Study hard and enjoy the rest of your term. Tell Lucy I said hello and that I will write her soon._

_Peter_

* * *

_Dear Lucy,_

_How are you liking your first year at school? Have you made any new friends yet? I hope you are enjoying yourself so far and are studying hard so that you will do well._

_Susan wrote and told me you were having nightmares and were upset about being home in England. I know it's hard; all of us find it's hard. But you have to remain strong. What are your nightmares about?_

_We all have lost much leaving Narnia when we did. I understand what you must be feeling and believe me when I say I feel it, too. The loss of Laira, Edmund's loss of Georgiana and the loss of your fiancé worries me and upsets me every day, as I know it upsets Susan and Edmund as well. You are a queen of Narnia, one of the greatest queens our country has ever had. Remember that and be strong. Keep your faith that things will work out as they should and I truly feel your nightmares will disappear._

_Write to me soon Lucy! Have a wonderful remainder of the term and I will see you at Christmastime!_

_Love,_

_Peter_

* * *

_Dear Peter,_

_I am so happy to hear from you! I love school and have made so many new friends! The class work is difficult, but I'm studying hard, just like you said. I've taken up swimming lessons and am learning to swim. I imagine they'll come in useful one day!_

_I wish Susan hadn't written you about my nightmares. They really have all but stopped; I only have them occasionally and they aren't nearly as bad as they were at first. They always tend to be the same about the storm. I'm not scared of them, just sad. I miss Georgiana and Laira so much, especially after I wake up from my dreams._

_There is something that worries me more than my nightmares, though, and I wish you and Edmund were here to help me. Susan seems to be upset about something but won't tell me. She tries to act like nothing is wrong, but I can tell things are not alright with her. Her smiles are becoming more and more forced; she's become distant from her friends and always seems to be lost in her own thoughts. I don't know what to do, Peter. Do you?_

_Tell Edmund I said hello and I miss you both!_

_Love,_

_Lucy_

* * *

_Dear Susan,_

_Peter tells me something's wrong and says your behavior is not like you. He wanted to write to you, hoping to find out what has you feeling poorly, but you know how he is; he would only muck it up with some cheerful nonsense about keeping your chin up and acting like a queen again. He's been using those same lines on me over the past few months, telling me that I need to stop worrying so much and start picking my life up again. I sometimes feel like thrashing him when he starts in on that, but know he would probably simply turn around and tell me my behavior isn't very kingly. _

_Susan, tell me what's wrong. You know you've never been good at hiding things from me, no matter how much you try. We're all dealing with our losses; are you? I don't want you to be upset._

_Christmas holidays are almost here. I hope by then you've worked out whatever is wrong but, if not, I hope you'll tell me about it when we see each other._

_I love you big sister. Please feel better._

_Edmund_

* * *

Peter stepped onto the back stoop of his family's house. It was very early on Christmas morning and the sky was still dark . He had been home from school for nearly two weeks now. Seeing his sisters and catching up with them had been wonderful, especially after their sudden return from Narnia and having no time to discuss how they all felt about it. Edmund and Lucy had, thankfully, started to do better; Lucy, resilient girl that she was, had quickly bounced back into her normal cheerful self. Edmund, while never overly cheerful to begin with, had also recovered from his loss and was starting to act like his old self again, even going so far as to entertain their family earlier in the evening with his usual jokes and quips. It was Susan who was starting to worry him, something he never imagined he would have to do now that they were back. Just as Lucy had warned him, she seemed down about something, her actions and expressions forced. It almost seemed to Peter that she was in another world most times.

Peter had talked to her earlier during their holiday break about how she felt about not returning to Narnia. They had both explained to Lucy and Edmund when they had all first arrived home that Aslan had visited them separately, Susan before they left for Terebinthia and Peter during the actual voyage, and told them they wouldn't return to Narnia because they were now too old. She had barely spoken of how she felt about it during their conversation, seeming to prefer to hear his thoughts rather than to share her own. He explained to her how he felt, that he would have given anything to return to Narnia and be High King again. He told her that it was difficult knowing he would never go back again, but that he had accepted his fate as Aslan had bade him to all those nights ago when he had visited Peter on their trip to Terebinthia.

_What a lie_, Peter thought as he pulled his great coat tighter around him against the cold winter air. It had been all he could do to keep up the appearance that he was fine and had adjusted back to his old life. It had been easy to slip into the day-to-day activities of going to classes, playing cricket with his friends, and making others believe that he was the same old Peter they had always known. He had, of course, spent years as High King behind a similar façade, showing others that he was a strong leader when deep down he had only felt fear for his people and family. It nearly killed him, though, every time he saw his brother upset or when he had read that Lucy was having nightmares or seeing Susan so distant. He wished he could show how he felt about being back in England or how he felt over losing the woman he loved rather than hide it from them. He was tired of being the one doing the comforting; he was ready for someone to comfort him. Sharing their burdens with his own was beginning to wear on him like it never had before.

A tear slipped out the corner of his eye before he could catch it. He scowled, hating that the tear was even there in the first place. Staring up at the early morning sky, he saw that the sun had begun to rise, turning the sky a deeper blue rather than the black it had been. The stars still twinkled slightly, fading as the sky lightened.

Peter watched the sky as it transformed from night to dawn, mesmerized by the sunrise. He had always wondered why Edmund and Georgiana had risen so often to watch the sunrise; seeing it himself cleared any questions he once had. The stars began to disappear one by one. One star, however, caught his eye. It seemed to burn brighter than the others, fighting against the growing light to continue on. He stared at it, his brow furrowing as the sun rose.

A cold wind blew, sending a shiver down his back when he heard a murmur of a noise. It sounded like the softest whisper possible, a breath of a sound, calling his name. His head whipped around the empty yard before glancing back up at the sky. The star he had been staring at slowly faded into the rising sun, its light gently blinking out. He continued to sit still, frozen as his heart began to race.

"Laira," he whispered.

* * *

"Back again, Princess Laira?" the Hermit asked. Laira looked up from the smooth surface of the pool she had knelt by, smiling at the old man who stood near her.

"It's Christmastime where he is. I thought I might like to see that," Laira replied, glancing back at the pool. She saw four children huddled together in what appeared to be a bedroom, laughing and talking together as though they had not a care in the world.

"Come have tea with me when you're finished," he chuckled, repeating the same invitation that he did every time Laira visited the pool, as he walked back to his little house.

Time passed, hours or minutes, Laira did not know. She was lost in Peter's world, watching as he and Edmund left their sisters and went to their own room. She smiled as she watched him sleep, his features still kingly despite his youth. Laira came to this spot daily to watch Peter, living her life with him as he continued on when she did not.

She saw Peter wake in the middle of the night and walk carefully out of his room and down the stairs. She watched as he glanced into the living room, seeing a brightly lit tree glowing in the far corner. Her brow furrowed as she saw him grab a large coat and walk outside to sit. A shiver shot down her spine moments later as she saw him pull his coat tighter around him. The weather where she sat was comfortable, beautifully temperate, but her body seemed to react to the weather in Peter's world instead of her own.

Suddenly familiar warmth began to seep into her, causing her shivers to disappear. She heard a gentle thud next to her and turned to see a great Lion sitting next to her and the pool.

"Aslan!" she exclaimed happily.

"How is our High King doing today?" Aslan asked cheerfully.

"It's Christmastime there, but he seems to be sad about something," Laira replied.

"You yourself seem sad as well," Aslan observed, turning his head slightly to the side.

"How can I be happy when he is not?" Laira whispered.

"My dear, I must ask this: are you wasting your life away sitting in front of this pool every day?" he asked gently. Laira shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Not wasting, Aslan, waiting. Maybe I'm being silly sitting here, but I get to see him this way now that he is gone from me. I just know someday we'll be reunited," she said hopefully. Aslan turned to the pool.

"Peter knows his own mind. That is one of the reasons he is such a good king and brother. Do you not wonder that he might find someone else he loves?" Aslan asked. Laira inhaled deeply. The thought had crossed her mind, several times in fact. "You wish to ask something?" Aslan asked.

"I wonder why you ask that. I want him to be happy; I love him that much. But do you see him falling in love with someone else? Will he forget me? Has he forgotten me already?" she asked nervously. Aslan chuckled gently.

"One can never know these things; even I cannot foresee them. You should have faith, though, in not only yourself but in Peter as well. Things will happen as they are meant to," he replied.

"Yes," Laira said wistfully as she looked back to the pool. She saw a single tear slip out of Peter's eye, her heart nearly breaking as she watched him flick it away and scowl. "I'm beginning to understand that more each day." Silence passed as the two watched Peter stare up at the stars.

"I believe you have another question for me?" Aslan asked, smiling. Laira giggled.

"Do you ever tire of knowing when someone wants to ask you a question?" she asked, returning Aslan's smile. The Lion chuckled warmly.

"Indeed it can be bothersome when someone wants to ask a question or wishes to say something and does not. However, I find that knowing one's questions helps me to help her ask, especially when they are difficult questions, as is the one you have in your mind," Aslan explained.

"Was I killed in the storm as punishment for marrying and murdering Brin and deserting my family and country?" Laira asked, her voice choking as she spoke.

"Is that what you believe?" Aslan asked quietly. Laira shook her head.

"I'm not sure what I believe," she said.

"Every person's life has a beginning and an ending. Death is only one type of ending. It was Peter's time to leave Narnia on that night. He has a greater purpose than to have his life end in Narnia, as does Susan, Edmund and Lucy. Your end came that night in the form of death. It was not a punishment, as you wonder, but a chance to live a life you can be happy in. In turn, your ending quickly became your beginning. Had you lived and stayed in Narnia or continued on your journey to your home in Archenland, that would have been your ending, but it would not have been a happy one. Do you really think of this as a punishment? So many people focus on death as an ending to their life when really it is only the beginning of a much greater adventure than they could ever imagine," Aslan explained. Laira nodded as she fought back happy tears and stared down at Peter. She caught his eyes, the bright cheerful blue she loved, and smiled. She saw Peter's brow furrow and gasped, wondering if he could see her as clear as she could see him.

"I'm here Peter," she whispered, touching her fingers to the cool water, breathing his name again, "Peter."

**AN: Okay... if anyone can guess where the last paragraph of the section where Peter is sitting outside came from, I will dedicate this story to you. Hint - it's not from any of my other stories... **

**BTW... I know I've said I don't like Lucy, but I'm really very very excited about her story coming up. I think I'm really starting to like her! **


	13. Chapter 13

**Years later, 1949, England**

"Susan, how can you be that way?" Peter asked angrily.

He and his siblings were gathered in Susan and Lucy's bedroom catching up after he had come home from University for summer break. As usual, their conversation had turned to Narnia and, again as usual, Susan had begun her insistence that it did not exist and they had never visited there.

"I'm sorry, Peter, but I think one of us needs to remember that we're grown-ups and set their foot down. And since it won't be you, it has to be me," Susan retorted equally as angrily. The two siblings stared hard at each other. Wanting to avoid one of their fights, which had increased in numbers over the years, Peter let out a low growl and clenched his fists, pushing himself off where he sat on Lucy's bed and stormed out of the room.

From behind him he hears Lucy cry, "Why do you always have to ruin our lovely moments? Just because you don't believe in Narnia anymore doesn't mean you have to ruin it for everyone!" He turned when he heard the door close behind him and saw his youngest sister hurrying down the hall after him.

"Peter, just ignore her. You know she doesn't mean it," Lucy started.

"It's alright Lu. I don't exactly pay attention to her anymore when she starts in on Narnia; it just infuriates me that she always seems to ruin it for us," Peter said as he continued to his bedroom. Lucy followed him in and sat on Edmund's bed.

"Maybe it's only ruined because we let it be ruined. Susan's always been a spoil sport about some things and we've always tolerated her and not let it ruin our fun; why should this be any different?" Lucy asked quietly. Peter sighed.

"It's different because it is different, Lucy. She doesn't remember any of it, being a queen, saving Narnia, living a different life. It's all lost on her and she wants it to be lost on us as well. Susan didn't lose like we did when we left Narnia. She was let off the hook not having to remember every day that the love of her life was killed. Maybe it's better to not remember and not have to live with the pain of having memories," Peter said as she sat on his bed, running his fingers through his hair.

"Peter, how can you speak like that?" Lucy said after several minutes of silence. Peter looked up, his eyes wild with a look Lucy had never seen in her brother. "We all have painful memories of Narnia, Susan included, but we also have beautiful memories that make the painful ones completely worthwhile. Yes, I'm still sad about losing Georgiana and Laira, about not marrying my prince, and knowing that I'll never get to see my home again. But I can take comfort in remembering all the happy times we had there and you should do the same. Fighting with Susan, trying to force her to remember, isn't going to help any of us and will only further the distance she's already created from us," Lucy continued. Both siblings looked up when Edmund walked in, his face full of disappointment.

"What did she say?" Peter asked. Edmund shook his head.

"Same as she always does: she doesn't remember because you can't remember something that didn't happen," Edmund replied as he sat next to Lucy on his bed.

"I just can't understand why you keep trying with her," Peter muttered.

"You know why I do," Edmund shot back. Glancing hesitantly between her brothers, Lucy stood and walked to the door.

"I think maybe we should all get some sleep before any of us say anything else that we'll regret in the morning," she said before turning to leave.

At the end of the week Peter, Edmund and Lucy prepared for their return to Narnia. During their visit at Professor Kirke's a strange apparition had appeared to them. They had concluded that it must be Narnian and a warning that their country was in trouble. Agreeing that Jill and Eustace should return to Narnia, Peter and Edmund decided that they would be the ones to go to Professor Kirke's old house in London and dig up the rings that had first taken him and Polly Plummer to Narnia all those years ago. They were set to leave for the professor's old house at first light. Since Eustace and Jill were still in school, Lucy was to meet Eustace at his house and ride with him and Jill on their way back to school. Their route stopped at the station nearest the professor's old house where Peter and Edmund would meet them. From there, Eustace and Jill would use the rings to travel to Narnia to find the apparition and help to save Narnia if it was needed.

Peter woke early and tossed in his bed unable to fall back asleep. He had been worried since they had decided to return to Narnia. Not that his cousin and Jill would fail; they had proven that they would be successful when they had saved Prince Rillian. He was worried about what they would find once there, what had become of his home. Peter knew deep down that it would only be Jill and Eustace to return and that he would never get the chance to help Narnia again, the sorrow of knowing weighing on his chest.

He rolled over in his bed and picked up the small alarm clock that sat on his bedside table. It was nearly time for them to get up to leave. Climbing quietly out of his bed he began to dress. He glanced at his brother's bed, chuckling silently at the sight of Edmund asleep before reaching down to shake his shoulder.

"Ed, wake up," he said quietly. Edmund batted his brother's hand away and rolled over.

"What?" he croaked sleepily, his eyes still closed.

"It's time to get up. We have to leave soon," Peter said.

Peter and Edmund met Lucy in the hallway outside their bedrooms. It was dark in the hall, the only light coming from the bottom of the stairs where a small lamp was left lit. Peter motioned to his younger siblings to follow him, holding a finger over his lips to tell them to walk quietly. The three began walking slowly towards the stairs. A low creak sounded from under Edmund's foot as he walked. Peter and Lucy both turned quickly to him; Peter narrowed his eyes and shook his head in frustration as they continued walking to the stairs. Peter and Edmund began walking down them when Lucy turned, giving her bedroom a final glance. She and her brothers had argued over whether to tell Susan about their plans. She had wanted to and felt that it was only fair that their sister know that they were trying to help Narnia, but Peter had overruled them claiming that Susan was no longer a friend to Narnia. Turning back towards the stairs she stubbed her toe on the banister and fell with a loud thump.

"Shh!" Edmund hissed, turning quickly on the stairs.

When they had reached the bottom of the stairs, Peter reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out two workman's caps.

"Here, put this on," he whispered as he handed Edmund one of the caps. The two brothers put on the caps and turned to Lucy.

"Do they look passable?" Peter asked. Lucy cocked her head to the side.

"Maybe if you turn them a little," she suggested, reaching up and straightening her oldest brother's.

"Lucy, what on earth are you doing?" a voice called from behind them. Lucy jumped, nearly pulling Peter's cap off as both he and Edmund turned towards the voice. Susan stood at the bottom of the stairs in her nightgown.

"Edmund! Peter!" Susan cried as she walked closer to them.

"Shh! You'll wake Mum and Dad!" Edmund hissed as he waved his hands as her. Susan narrowed her eyes when she reached him, taking in the sight of her oddly dressed brothers.

"What are you doing?" she hissed back. Peter felt his anger grow with his sister's question.

"Don't tell her Ed," he said quietly. Lucy glanced sideways at her brother, his hard and angry quiet voice startling her. Edmund rolled his eyes quickly and shot his brother an annoyed look.

"Oh, shut up," he said before turning back to Susan. "We're going to find the rings Professor Kirke and Aunt Polly used to travel to Narnia before," he whispered, explaining their plan to Susan. Sighing quietly Lucy turned back to Peter, helping him to button the strange closures on his workman's clothing as she barely paid attention to Susan.

"You're going…" Susan started. Lucy glanced quickly at her sister and caught her brow furrow in thought before her eyes widened. "But you're not allowed-" she quickly cut herself off. Peter looked up at the wall clock and saw it was getting late.

"We need to be going Ed," he said quietly, motioning with his head towards the door. Edmund kept his eyes on Susan and nodded.

"You two go on ahead. I need to talk to Susan for a minute," he said quietly. Peter's mouth straightened into a line as he stared at his brother and sister.

"Okay, but make it quick. We need to hurry so we can get the rings before Eustace and Jill's train gets into the station," he said. With a final glance at his sister he turned to the door and pulled it open before leaving. Lucy turned to her sister and gave her a small smile. Her heart broke as she saw the worried look in Susan's eyes, noting the forced serene face she wore. Inhaling deeply, Lucy followed Peter out.

"Hurry up, Ed!" Peter called behind him as he and Edmund wove through the crowd of people in the train station.

"I'm coming!" Edmund grumbled behind him. The two brothers had just reached the station; it was now afternoon and the train they were supposed to be on was scheduled to arrive at its platform very soon. To make it worse, it had begun to rain during their trip to the station, soaking them to the bone. Edmund glanced to his left and saw a news stand with papers and magazines hanging from racks.

"We should get a paper. Susan said her picture was going to be in it," Edmund said.

"We don't have time for that. I'm sure she'll buy each of us one and have it ready for us to fawn over when we get home," Peter said sarcastically. Edmund glanced back at the stand. A familiar head of hair caught his attention. _It couldn't be_, he thought.

"Ed!" Peter called, grabbing his brother's arm.

"Okay!" Edmund said loudly. The two hurried through the crowd towards their platform.

When they had reached the platform, Edmund glanced up at the large clock that hung over the wall.

"Still have time," he said, seeing that the train would arrive in five minutes. "Wasn't today the day that Mum and Dad were going to Bristol?" Peter nodded. "They should be on this train, too. I wonder if Lucy knows," Edmund said.

"I doubt she does. I didn't know they were going until this morning, so I'm certain she wouldn't know either. What a surprise for her it'll be if she happens to run into them!" Peter chuckled. A loud whistle came from around the bend, alerting them that the train was coming. Edmund glanced back at the clock.

"Well, I guess it's a little early," he mentioned. The train's engine came around, speeding on the track.

"Say, doesn't it look like it's going a bit too fast?" Peter asked nervously. A loud roar sounded and Peter saw the train's wheels leave the track.

"Look out!" he yelled, throwing himself at his brother and knocking them both to the ground. He felt a sudden force hit him making him become very light. When he opened his eyes he saw Edmund lying on the ground next to him, propped up on his elbows. Beneath his fingers he felt the crisp blades of grass.

"Where are we?" he asked as he pushed himself up.

"Haven't you figured it out yet, High King?" a familiar voice asked. Peter looked towards the sound of the voice and saw Professor Kirke standing next to Lucy and Polly, all dressed in Narnian finery.

"We're in Narnia," Lucy breathed.

* * *

"Oh good, you're here," Jill exclaimed as Lucy walked into the compartment where she, Eustace, Professor Kirke and Aunt Polly were already sitting.

"Sorry I'm late. I wanted to stop and get a paper – Susan said she was supposed to be in it today with her charity group - but they were all sold out!" Lucy said irritably as she placed her small bag in the overhead compartment and sat next to Jill.

"Oh, bother Susan. That's all she does nowadays. I just don't see what's so great about all that society stuff when you all used to be kings and queens," Jill said crossly. Lucy sighed and remained silent. As much as she had grown to like Jill, her frankness sometimes really upset Lucy. She noticed Jill's foot was tapping impatiently and making the whole seat bounce.

"Pole, cut it out. We'll leave soon enough," Eustace shot at her.

"Sorry, I'm just anxious to go!" she said excitedly.

"You lucky dear! I would love to see how Narnia has changed since we first saw it. Can you imagine, Diggory, what it must be like now?" Polly asked wondrously.

"Well, I imagine there's really no way I could imagine, Polly dear. Logically it has most definitely changed since we first came there; thousands of years have passed and I'm most certain the world has evolved since its creation when we first saw it," Diggory replied.

"Always with the logic, Professor Kirke," Eustace said, smiling at the older man. The five soon felt the lurch of the train beginning to move, the room filling with excited chattering about their various adventures in Narnia.

"What do you think is wrong in Narnia?" Eustace asked several hours after the train had started its trip.

"It's really hard to say. The first two times I went to Narnia there was a war but the third time, you remember, we went on a trip. No one's ever visited us from Narnia, so I can't imagine what threat is so terrible that Aslan would send such a warning like we saw," Lucy said.

"Someone's visited us from Narnia, right Eustace?" Jill asked.

"King Caspian came back for five minutes when we returned from Narnia last time. He had died though, so I think he might have been a ghost," Eustace said.

"Oh, don't speak of that!" Lucy exclaimed. She always hated that her cousin had seen their very good friend die. Eustace rolled his eyes slightly and glanced out of their window.

"It looks like we're almost there. I wonder if I can see Peter and Edmund," he said, pressing his face against the window. Lucy looked out the window as well and saw how quickly the scenery flew by the window. Her stomach lurched from the quickness of the motions. A sudden jerk knocked her out of her seat, Jill landing on top of her.

"What in the world?" Professor Kirke exclaimed, a loud noise quickly drowning him out. Lucy felt a painless blow knock her to the side and suddenly felt weightless. Jill, who had been on top of her, was gone.

Blinking her eyes against the brightness that surrounded her and rubbing them with the backs of her hands she gasped in astonishment as she took in the world around her. It was more beautiful than she had remembered the air crisper and cleaner than she had ever breathed. Pushing up from the ground she saw both Aunt Polly and Professor Kirke standing near her, each looking younger than she had ever seen them.

"Where are we?" a voice asked. Turning towards it, she gasped happily as she saw her brothers pushing themselves off the ground. They were both wearing shining mail and their finest Narnian clothes.

"Haven't you figured it out yet, High King?" Professor Kirke asked smiling widely. Lucy saw Peter turn towards them, an astonished look on his face.

"We're in Narnia," Lucy said breathlessly.

**AN: I, for one, will be glad when all these cross-overs are finished! :) **


	14. Chapter 14

** AN: I really thought about skipping most of this chapter... But I had gotten so many suggestions while I was writing Receiving Grace write something similar and I thought it fit nicely. **

Peter glanced back at the golden gates. He had spent what seemed hours reuniting with his old friends, laughing and dancing and singing with them until he thought he would drop from exhaustion; but here, in Aslan's country, exhaustion never came. He had greeted everyone he had ever known in Narnia and more: Caspian and his wife, their son Rillian and all their descendants, Reepicheep the mouse, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, Mr. Tumnus the faun. He had been excited to see them all. There was one face, however, that seemed to be missing from him. He had searched the ever-growing crowd for Laira, hoping she would be one of the many who filled King Frank's castle high on the mountain, but she never came.

Peter and Edmund had walked to the garden where Lucy and Mr. Tumnus had stood earlier, wanting to see more of their world. Moments after silently taking in the beauty of Narnia, Edmund had jumped and shouted, "Look there!" Peter had stared where Edmund had pointed, his eyes widening when he had seen what his brother had. A young woman had stood there, reaching gingerly up to the shining bronze and silver crown that sat on her head. Peter had turned to see his brother running towards the golden gates. Sighing he had looked back at the woman who had started to walk along the winding river.

"At least Georgiana made it," he had whispered. His eyes had followed the river, its mouth stopping at the ocean near Cair Paravel. Allowing his eyes to focus on the window of his old room, he had gasped when he saw a second young woman leaning on the balcony of the room. Her honey brown hair had shone in the bright sun as she had rested her hand against her cheek. Dashing as quickly as his brother had, Peter had run straight for the golden gates, not stopping once until he had made it through them.

Peter continued his run, amazed at the speed he now had. Cair Paravel, although it had seemed farther than imaginable at first, was now near, merely seconds away. He slowed to a walk and attempted to steady his racing heart. It wasn't beating fast from his run, which did not tire him in the least; it raced from his excitement from seeing Laira again, from finally being reunited with the only woman he had thought of for nearly eight years. Through their separation his love had seemingly grown. She had filled his thoughts night and day and he had felt her presence although she was no where near him.

When Peter reached Cair Paravel's gates he stood at its great doors, hesitating before pushing them open. His heart pounded against his chest as he mentally calculated the quickest route to his old bedroom. _Up the stairs, to the right, down the hall, then left,_ he thought as he began walking to the towering spiral staircase that stood at the end of the entryway. He ran up the stairs, taking the steps two at a time. He sprinted down the hall, nearly missing the turn that led to his apartment he had shared with his siblings. Skidding to a halt in front of it he raised his hand to knock; it was poised inches from the door when he realized he was knocking on his own room. Lowering his hand, he reached for the doorknob and turned it slowly, pushing the door open as he peered around.

The large sitting room was exactly as he remembered it, the plush sofas still in the room, luxurious chairs situated throughout it giving it a cozy feeling. Although the weather outside was beautiful and the temperature warm and inviting, a roaring fire blazed in the fireplace but did not overheat the room. Peter walked into the sitting room and stared at the door which led to his own bedchamber. He stood in front of it, knowing Laira was on the other side. He wondered if she knew he was here, if he had died in his own world – the Shadowlands as Aslan had called it – and had come to Aslan's Country. He suddenly felt awkward, worrying what she now thought of him and whether she still loved him. Had her feelings changed or had they strengthened, as his had, over the years they had be apart? Summing up his courage he turned the knob on his bedroom door slowly, as he had with the first door, and pushed it open.

* * *

Laira leaned on the balcony, resting her cheek on her hand. She had returned from the Hermit's pool discouraged from her visit. She had hoped to see Peter today, as she did every day, but when she went to look, all she saw was darkness. Feeling alone and sad – or as sad as one really could feel in Aslan's Country – she had walked straight to Peter's room, hoping to feel his presence somehow, even if he wasn't there.

Peter's balcony overlooked the ocean, which was calm and sparkling, the blue-green color of it clear and beautiful. Whenever she came out here she stared at the water, wondering why it had not been so calm and beautiful that night she had last seen her fiancé, the man she still loved. What had been so important that Aslan had taken Peter away from her? What destiny did Peter have to fulfill that wasn't to be fulfilled in Narnia? These questions rolled over and over in her mind every time she stood in that spot, continuously unanswered and unresolved.

Sighing deeply she turned to walk back into the room, her ears perking up when she heard the closing of the apartment door. _Who is that? _she thought, remembering that everyone had gone up to the mountain to King Frank's castle. She had thought Cair Paravel was empty when she returned, having seen no one when she walked in. _Perhaps people are beginning to return, but no one ever comes in here except for me,_ she thought as she hesitantly stepped towards the door.

Her eyes widened curiously as she saw the doorknob turn slowly and the door open. A large smile grew on her face when she saw the familiar figure walk through the door, his gleaming gold crown sitting on top of his nearly matching hair. He was as handsome as she had remembered, his deep blue tunic making his eyes even brighter. He looked younger somehow, but still so much the king she had always remembered.

"Peter!" she breathed, throwing herself into his arms and wrapping hers tightly around his neck. She felt his strong arms wrap around her, hugging her as though he'd never let go. Realization suddenly hit her as she quickly pulled herself away, tears forming in her eyes. "How can you be here? You weren't in the pool but I didn't think this was why! Why are you here? What happened to you?" she cried, unable to control her emotions.

"Laira, darling, please calm down," Peter said quickly as he placed his hands on the sides of her face.

"Why are you here?" she repeated. A slow smile spread on Peter's face as he opened his mouth to begin. He was quickly cut off by Laira's kiss, her lips pressing tightly against his. She felt his arms tighten around her again, pulling her closer. Leaving his mouth, she began placing small kisses along his jaw and cheeks. "Oh, I don't care why you're here!" she exclaimed between kisses. Peter chuckled as he lifted her off the floor and spun her around. Laughing, she said, "All that matters is that you've come home to me."

* * *

Peter sat back in the plush arm chair and propped his feet up on the ottoman that sat in front of it. He closed his eyes, a happy smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he took in the happiness of the recent events. Shortly after reuniting with Laira, Edmund had shown up at Cair Paravel with Georgie. Caspian, his family and Lucy, who had all appeared just before Edmund and Georgie did, greeted them and shared in Peter's happiness at seeing his long lost almost sister. It had taken Edmund less than a day to announce that he and Georgie were going to marry as soon as possible, which, in Edmund's mind, meant the very next day.

A simple ceremony was arranged, their closest friends and Aslan the only ones present. Edmund and Georgie recited their vows and Aslan declared them husband and wife, blessing their marriage and their future together. A ship had soon appeared, similar to yet grander than the one Edmund had promised to have commissioned for Georgie; the two had quickly set sail on it, off to explore and see the many islands which surrounded their new home.

Peter was truly content, finally home for good in his true home, reunited with those who he had thought lost to him forever, and happy that his family was at last together again. _Except for one sister,_ he thought frowning. He felt someone sit in his lap and arms wrap around his neck. Opening his eyes he saw Laira's smiling face.

"What has you frowning? Didn't you know there's nothing left to frown about?" she asked cheerfully.

"I was thinking of Susan," Peter replied. Laira frowned.

"I suppose there is that left to frown about," she said softly.

"I was so beastly to her about Narnia. She just made me so mad, refusing to remember our home. I know that's really no excuse to treat her as I did. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if she hated me," he said. Laira smoothed Peter's hair back from his face, giving him a small smile.

"I've been watching the four of you every day since I first came here. Your sister had a very hard time during those years, one you can't understand. She didn't make it easier for you by pretending she didn't believe in Narnia and didn't miss any opportunity to let you know she no longer believed in it. I have my theory about that: I think that she fought with you so fervently about Narnia as her own way of keeping it alive for her," Laira said.

"Wait, what did you say? She pretended to not believe in Narnia?" Peter asked surprised. Laira nodded and took his hand. Hopping off his lap, she said, "Come with me. I have something I need to show you."

* * *

"What is this place?" Peter asked as they walked through the Hermit's enclosure.

"This is the home of the Hermit of the Southern March. I come here every day," Laira replied. Motioning to Peter to follow her she walked towards the pool and knelt down by it. Touching the edge of the water she said, "From here I watched you and your siblings. I saw you all grow and change, grieve, hope... I lived your lives with you." She looked up at Peter and held out her hand. Taking it in his, Peter knelt beside her.

"Look at the water," she said, turning back to the pool. Peter looked with her, his eyes widening at what the pool showed him. There was a cemetery, five holes dug in the ground with many people dressed in black. "It must be our funeral," he whispered. He saw Susan walk towards the graves with his aunt and uncle, stopping several feet from them. She held a large black umbrella. Peter could see it shaking slightly as she watched their parents lowered into the ground. Moments later, Peter saw tears begin to stream down Susan's face as one of the coffins was lowered.

"That's Lucy," Laira said softly as she squeezed Peter's hand. Susan's umbrella begin to shake harder as the next coffin was lowered.

"They can't do this. No!" he heard Susan say. He saw Aunt Alberta placed a hand on her shoulder but was unable to hear what she said. The final coffin was lifted and moved to the grave. Peter felt Laira's hand tighten around his.

"That's me, isn't it?" he asked. Laira was silent before nodding slightly.

"No! Stop!" Peter heard Susan scream. He turned back to the pool and saw his sister drop her umbrella, rushing to his coffin crying, "This isn't right!" Peter saw his uncle try to stop her as she grabbed the hand of one of the men moving his coffin. "Don't you know who he is? He's High King of Narnia! He deserves a better funeral than this! They're kings and a queen! They can't be thrown into the ground in some old wooden box!" she cried hysterically. Peter felt tears slip down his face as he watched his sister struggle in the cemetery.

"Darling?" Laira asked, placing her hand on Peter's shoulder.

"How could we leave her like that? I should have forced her to come with us. How did I not see she was pretending? All those years when I could have tried to help her with whatever she was going through wasted because of my anger towards her," Peter said quietly as he continued to watch his sister.

"Peter, this is Susan's destiny. She was meant to be alone so she could find her strength again," Laira said soothingly.

"Her strength? Laira, look at her! I've never seen my sister so broken and defeated. How is she to go on without us with her?" he asked, his tears continuing to flow.

"I'm a Queen of Narnia! I'm supposed to be with them, there. Not here alone!" he heard Susan scream as their uncle tried to grab her to leave.

"I can't watch any more of this," he said, hitting the water with his hand. The scene dissolved before him, the pool returning to its clear smooth surface once again.

* * *

Lucy walked down the hallway in Cair Paravel, a solemn look on her face as she contemplated visiting the Hermit's pool. Time had passed since they had first arrived, although she was unable to tell just how long had passed exactly; Laira had explained to them about the pool and how they could watch Susan from it. Her brothers barely watched anymore, finding it too painful to see their sister go through the pain of being left alone. She had tried harder than her brothers but after so long of watching it became nearly unbearable for her.

Laira and Georgie stayed when they could not, although lately Laira had been spending more time with Peter. Georgie reported to them about how Susan was doing, whether she'd had a good day or bad. Resolving that she would spend time watching her sister, painful or not, she straightened her shoulders and set out for the pool. When she arrived she saw Georgie and Edmund sitting next to it grinning.

"What's happening?" she asked as she hurried over to them.

"My cousin Robert's just kissed your sister," Georgie giggled.

"Really? How wonderful!" Lucy exclaimed happily.

"He seems like a decent sort of fellow," Edmund commented.

"Oh, he is! He was always so wonderful to me growing up. Really my best friend when we were children," Georgie said softly as she smiled down at the pool.

"What has she done?" Lucy cried as she saw her sister pull back from Robert quickly.

"Oh... I know that look," Edmund said slowly, chuckling.

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked.

"It's the same look G gave me when I first kissed her. All that nonsense about being 'just friends' and not wanting to ruin that. Susan's apparently done the same," he explained.

"Well, it seemed to have worked out just fine for us, so hopefully my good senses run in the family," Georgie said, nudging Edmund gently.

"Well, if you had good sense, you wouldn't have pushed me away in the first place," Edmund teased as he stood, offering a hand to Georgie. She took it and let him pull her up.

"Perhaps if you'd had any sense at all you wouldn't bring up such bad memories," she retorted as she turned to leave.

"Oh, G, don't be like that," Edmund called after her. Lucy watched the couple leave, giggling when she saw Edmund scoop Georgie up and kiss her.

Turning back to the pool she saw Susan back at their home. She had just walked into the bedroom she and Lucy had once shared. Lucy cocked her head to the side as she watched her sister sit on her old bed, staring at the bed Lucy once slept in. Susan picked up the pillow and hugged it close to her. Lucy could see tears forming in her eyes before she closed them. She placed her fingers on Susan's face, the cool water sending a shiver down her spine.

"Susan, why are you acting like this?" she asked softly, her voice tinged with hurt from seeing her sister so upset.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Lucy heard her sister say. Her eyes widened. _Can Susan hear me?_ she thought. She remembered the argument they had the night before the train accident, their words starting exactly as they had now. Thinking she should continue, she asked, "Yes you do. Why are you pretending Narnia doesn't exist? That you weren't queen?"

"It was all a game, Lu," Susan replied quietly. Lucy felt her heart race, exactly how it did when she and her sister had argued before. She had been angry then, furious at her sister for calling the loveliest time of their lives a simple game.

"No, it wasn't! Why are you fighting who you are?" Lucy cried out. She reached into the water as if she could place her hands on Susan's face, willing her sister to feel her presence. "Remember Susan! Remember who you are!" Lucy cried again, her hands shaking as she spoke, tiny ripples coming from them, growing as they neared the pond's edge. Lucy braced herself for the answer she knew was coming, the words she had been devastated by the first time she had heard them.

"I can't, Lucy. I just can't," she heard Susan whisper again. Lucy saw Susan's hands come up and try to grab her own wrists. She pulled her hands from the water and dried them on her dress before wiping away the tears that rolled down her cheeks. Looking back to the pool she saw Susan's eyes open.

"She's not here," she heard Susan say as a single tear escaped.

"Lucy? What is it?" a low, deep voice said from behind her. Lucy turned and quickly wiped away her tears. Aslan sat a few feet from her, his warm eyes looking sympathetically at her.

"Will Susan ever remember Narnia?" she asked quietly.

"As with all things, that is up to her," he replied. Nodding, Lucy turned back to the pool and saw her sister still sitting on the bed.

"Please, Susan. Please remember Narnia and who you were. This is our home just as much as it is yours," she whispered.

"No!" she heard Susan cry. Lucy jumped back, surprised by her sister's sudden change. She watched at Susan stood quickly and threw the pillow she held at Lucy's bed. "You weren't right Lucy! Narnia took you away. It took you all away! I won't let myself be fooled again by it as well!" she yelled. Lucy saw Susan spin and march out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Running her hand through the pool she saw the image drift away.

Standing, she turned towards Aslan and said, "There may be no help for her. I don't think she'll ever come back to us." Aslan gave her a sad smile.

"There is always help when one asks for it. But one has to ask first in order to receive it. Your sister will find the help she needs as well as the courage to ask for it when the time is right. Do not fret," he said warmly. Lucy saw Aslan perk up slightly. "It seems you have company." Lucy turned towards the entrance to the enclosure and saw Tirian walking through the hedged gate. Turning back to thank Aslan, Lucy gasped when she saw the Lion was no longer there.

"Queen Lucy," Tirian called as he walked closer to her.

"King Tirian, what a surprise," Lucy said as she turned back to him.

"Princess Laira said you might be here and asked if I would mind escorting you back to Cair Paravel. I believe she has some wedding plans to discuss with you," he said politely. Lucy sighed.

"Oh, yes, I imagine she does want to discuss wedding plans. It would be a great Narnian tragedy if she had to plan it herself," she said, inwardly shuddering at the memory of the first time Laira had tried to help with the plans. Lucy still cringed at the hideous purple color Laira had picked out for her attendant's dresses. Susan, wonder that she was, had quickly persuaded her to pick something else, claiming that such a bold color might distract others from the bride and groom. _If only I had Susan's skills of persuasion,_ Lucy thought.

"Queen Lucy?" Tirian asked, pulling Lucy out of her thoughts.

"What? Oh, yes, back to Cair Paravel," she stuttered, placing her hand in Tirian's offered arm. She glanced up at his warm smile, his blue eyes and handsome face nearly making Lucy's heart skip a beat. They had not taken two steps when Lucy stumbled over her own feet, nearly falling had Tirian not steadied her.

"Are you alright?" he asked as Lucy righted herself.

"Fine," she said tightly, inwardly rolling her eyes over her clumsiness. _You would think with being here in Aslan's Country I would learn to be able to manage to walk without falling,_ she thought, glancing sideways at Tirian's profile. _Of course, my clumsy moments only seem to happen when I'm around him, which is quite irritating to say the least._


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Lucy and Tirian walked back to Cair Paravel in silence. _Say something to him, anything_, Lucy's mind screamed as she hastily thought of something to say. She had liked Tirian instantly and had wanted to make friends with him but whenever she found herself around him she found it increasingly hard to collect her thoughts.

"So, madam," Tirian began, glancing down at Lucy. "How is your sister today?"

_Oh, thank Aslan he spoke first_, she thought excitedly.

"She's still having a hard time, although she has made a friend. Queen Georgiana's cousin actually. He seems to be a good friend for her, helping to keep her happy, but still, I have never seen her so..." Lucy trailed off as she tried to think of how to describe her sister's despair. She had seen Susan upset and depressed in the past, but this was different.

"So what, Queen Lucy?" Tirian prodded.

"So positively pitiful," Lucy said softly.

"Many are when they have lost loved ones," Tirian stated. Lucy shook her head and said, "It's more than that really. She seems to have lost something greater than us. I think it's her faith in Narnia; when she lost that, she lost herself." Tirian looked down at Lucy again and noticed the look of sadness across her face.

"Perhaps, madam, a happier subject?" he suggested.

"I think that is a wonderful suggestion," Lucy said, smiling slightly.

"Is it really true that you helped to defeat the White Witch?" Tirian asked. Lucy laughed lightly.

"That is most definitely not a happier subject," she said kindly.

"My apologies, it was the first thing that entered my head," he said slightly embarrassed.

"It's alright. Yes, I suppose I did help to defeat the White Witch, although in reality it was Aslan who finally destroyed her. My brothers fought in the battle though," she explained.

"I find it extraordinary to be talking to the great Queen Lucy herself. It's as if my history lessons I learned as a child have suddenly come to life. I know I have met some of the great heroes of Narnia: Reepicheep, Mr. Tumnus, and King Caspian and see them quite often, but it still amazes me to be around everyone. Especially when they are as beautiful as you," he said. Lucy blushed. Tirian chuckled and said, "I apologize, Queen Lucy. I should not have been so bold with my compliments. Perhaps you should pick our next topic of conversation." Lucy thought for several moments.

"How old are you?" she asked quickly. Tirian laughed.

"How old do you think me to be?" he asked teasingly.

"That I don't know. It's hard to tell here. I think you're older than my oldest brother, but if so, not by much," Lucy said.

"Then you would be correct. I am only slightly older than High King Peter, but I would not hold that over him as I believe him to be much older than me as a king," Tirian replied.

"How old do you think I am?" Lucy asked. Tirian laughed again.

"I believe that once I did all the addition of how many years you have lived, both in Narnia and the Shadowlands, you would be roughly forty-three," he said.

"Forty-three? I most certainly am not that old!" Lucy cried indignantly. She caught Tirian's grin and blushed.

"You were only teasing me," she stated.

"Yes, madam, I was. Your brother King Edmund told me you were seventeen when you were killed, although since we first met I must say you both seem and look much older," Tirian said.

"I feel much older than I did before I came here," Lucy said quietly. Being back in Narnia, or coming to the real Narnia – Lucy was still unsure which was more accurate – had made her feel as old as she had ever been, older than the seventeen year old girl she had been in England.

"I hope I have not offended you," Tirian said softly. Lucy glanced up and, seeing his apologetic face, grinned.

"No, you have not. Don't be so worried about offending me," she said kindly. Tirian nodded and looked forward.

"We're nearing Cair Paravel," he said. Lucy looked towards the castle and smiled. Her home looked more magnificent than it had before.

"Isn't it nearly the best place in the world?" she breathed.

"It is. Although I am leaving it tomorrow," he replied.

"Leaving? Why?" Lucy asked astonished.

"I am going to King Frank's castle tomorrow to visit with my father. While I love living in Cair Paravel and am very pleased that you and your brothers have asked me to stay here, my father prefers to live among the many kings and queens that live at King Frank's castle. He has sent word that he would like to have dinner with me," Tirian explained.

"How lovely," Lucy murmured, wondering if perhaps her parents would want to dine with her one day. "What about Peter and Laira's wedding?" she asked.

"I'll be back in time for it. I wouldn't dream of missing such a momentous occasion," he said.

"That's good," Lucy replied.

"I hope you will save me a dance, however," he said softly. Lucy glanced up at him, the power of his clear blue eyes catching her breath in her throat so that she was unable to speak. She nodded dumbly before looking away. _Pull yourself together Lucy Pevensie!_ she silently scolded herself.

* * *

Lucy walked into the Great Hall and jumped back. A man nearly ran her over as he bustled by carrying a tall ladder. Her eyes widened as she took in the flurry of workers in the hall.

"Lucy!" Laira cried as she hurried across the room.

"What is going on?" Lucy asked when Laira had reached her.

"Peter wants to have the wedding in three days," she answered excitedly.

"Three days?" Lucy exclaimed as she leaned against the door and put her hand to her head. "There's no way!" Laira shrugged.

"Of course there is. We don't need a big to-do, just something simple," she said.

"Laira, be sensible. Peter is High King. He can't have something small," Lucy argued. She looked up to see Laira's crestfallen face and sighed. "Let me handle the details down here. If you're going to be married in three days then you need to go finish your fittings for your wedding dress. I promise I will make sure this wedding will be the event of both yours and Peter's dreams," Lucy said as she ushered Laira out of the Great Hall.

Once she had left, Lucy leaned against the door again and took in the catastrophe Laira had started. Brightly colored banners hung from the rafters while strands of mismatching flowers hung haphazardly over the windows. Castle workers were hurrying to and fro in the hall, some moving tables and chairs while others draped yards of gauzy fabric over nearly every inch of the room. Taking a deep breath, Lucy pushed herself away from the door and cried, "Enough!"

The room stopped, all eyes turning to stare at the young queen. "Everyone stop what you're doing. We're going to completely redo this room," she said loudly. Lucy began directing the workers, explaining what she wanted to take down, what she wanted to be put up, and where everything needed to go. Hours passed as the room began to change from the gaudy, mismatched state she had first found it in; it had now become the center for a wedding fit for a king.

* * *

The three days passed quickly as the castle began to prepare for the wedding of Narnia's High King and his bride. Lucy was putting the final touches on the flowers that draped the Great Hall the day of the wedding when the door to the room flung open. Her head shot up at the noise as she saw Georgie race into the hall and hurry to the dais where the four marble thrones sat.

"Georgiana?" Lucy asked curiously.

"G, stop!" she heard Edmund shout as he ran into the hall. Georgie spun quickly, grasping onto one of the thrones to catch her balance.

"Edmund, I'm in a hurry!" she said as she turned back and hurried behind the dais. She pushed aside the large tapestry that was hanging on the far wall, revealing a door.

"The treasure chamber? What are you doing, Georgiana?" Lucy asked as she and Edmund walked up behind her.

"I have to get something," Georgie said as she opened the door and stepped onto the first stair. Edmund's hand shot out and grabbed her arm.

"G, you can't go down there. It's pitch black," he said.

"Then find me a light! Hurry!" Georgie cried exasperatedly. Edmund growled in frustration as he released her arm and hurried to grab a nearby torch.

"Let's go," he said as he grabbed her arm again and moved to walk down the stairs with her. The two began to walk down the stairs, Lucy following close behind, to the treasure chamber.

"Wait here," Edmund said as he released Georgie's arm and moved to light the lanterns that hung throughout the room. It was quickly brighter, the flames of the lanterns casting a warm glow on the room.

"What are we doing down here?" Lucy asked.

"I need to find something," Georgie said as she began to search the room, lifting the lids of the boxes that sat on the rows of shelves in the room.

"Maybe if you told us what you were looking for we could help you," Edmund suggested after several minutes of watching Georgie search.

"No, no, no..." Georgie muttered, ignoring her husband and continuing to search. Edmund and Lucy watched impatiently, curious to know what Georgie was searching for.

"Georgiana!" Edmund said loudly in frustration. Georgie's head jerked up.

"What?" she asked.

"What are you looking for?" he asked. Georgie turned to a shelf where a small wooden chest sat, a gold emblem of a lion dancing on it.

"This," she said softly as she lifted the lid. Inside were four rings resting on a cushion, glittering brightly in the light. She grabbed one and shut the lid before rushing to the stairs of the chamber. Edmund grabbed her arm.

"What is that?" he asked. Georgie shook her head.

"I have to hurry. I'll explain later," she said quickly, pulling herself out of Edmund's grasp and running up the stairs. Lucy walked to the shelf and looked at the chest Georgie had opened.

"Edmund, look," she whispered, slowly opening the chest. Edmund hurried to his sister and looked inside the chest.

"Our coronation rings. She took Susan's," he said, confused.

"Why would she do that?" Lucy asked.

"I don't know, but I intend to find out," Edmund said as he turned to leave.

"She'll be at the pool again today. She's been there a good deal lately. Something must be happening with Susan," Lucy called after him.

"Thanks, Lucy!" Edmund called from the top of the stairs. Lucy looked back at the three remaining rings and picked hers up. She had always loved her ring, its cheerful yellow stone a constant reminder of the day she became Queen Lucy. She slid it onto her finger, smiling that it still fit.

"I suppose it's been quite a long time since I wore it. I wonder why I never thought to wear this the last time we were here?" she asked herself as she began climbing the stairs to leave.

* * *

"G, what are you doing?" Edmund asked as he caught up to Georgie at the Hermit's pool. Georgie knelt down by the pool and smiled up at Edmund.

"It's Robert. He's asked you, Peter and Lucy for your blessing to marry Susan," she said.

"He's asked her?" Edmund said as he crouched next to her.

"Not yet. Apparently Susan doesn't quite realize she's in love with him, but she will. Knowing my cousin, he'll ask her the second she admits it," she replied.

"So then why did you get Susan's coronation ring?" he asked, pushing a strand of her hair behind her ears.

"I wanted to give him a sign that you three approve," she said, holding up the ring. Edmund frowned at the light blue stone. "Do you not?" Georgie asked confusedly.

"No, it's not that. I think he's pretty perfect for my sister. It's just… how do you plan on getting him the ring? We're not exactly in the same world as he is," Edmund pointed out.

"I have a theory: Laira told me that once she whispered to Peter and he seemed to hear her. So I wondered if maybe I dropped the ring into the pool if it would appear there," she explained.

"That's an awful long shot," Edmund said softly.

"Worth a try though, don't you think?" Georgie asked as she leaned over the pool. She dropped the ring in the center of it, ripples forming and moving towards the edge. The image of Robert below became hazy as the water moved.

"Look!" Georgie exclaimed as Robert became clearer. She saw him bend down next to the headstone and pick something up. "It worked!" she said happily as she saw him smile at the ring in his hand.

"Well, how do you like that?" Edmund said, astonished that it had worked.

"I'm so happy I came up with that idea! I thought your sister could use a little happiness," Georgie said as she stood. Edmund stood as well and wrapped his arms around his wife's waist, leaning down and kissing her gently on the lips.

"I'm glad you gave my sister some happiness. How about you give your loving husband some happiness too?" he said mischievously as he kissed along her jaw. Georgie giggled and wrapped her arms around Edmund's neck.

"I have been meaning to tell you something that I think will make you very happy," she said, grinning at him.

"What's that?" he asked, placing a small kiss on her nose.

"I'm going to have a baby," she whispered happily.

"G," Edmund breathed as he pulled her tightly to him, hugging her close. "That makes me very, very happy," he whispered in her ear.

* * *

Georgie grabbed Edmund's hand as they walked through the castle doors, pulling him to a stop.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Let's not tell anyone just yet about the baby. It's Peter's and Laira's day; we shouldn't take it away from them," she replied. Edmund smiled and threaded his hand through Georgie's hair, kissing her nose then lips.

"You really are the best," he whispered as he leaned his forehead against hers, his eyes remaining closed.

"It's about time you two got back!" they heard Lucy cry. Both groaned in frustration as they turned to her.

"Lucy, do you have some sort of wish to always interrupt us?" Edmund said teasingly, his smile fading when he saw the glare his sister shot him.

"Peter's wedding starts in less than two hours! You both have to get ready!" Lucy said frustrated. She grabbed Georgie's hand and began pulling her towards the stairs.

"You need to go help Peter. He's waiting for you in the Great Hall," she called over her shoulder as she and Georgie began to climb the stairs. Georgie shot Edmund a helpless smile and shook her head.

"Aren't you glad we had a simple wedding, sweetheart?" Edmund called after her, smiling as he heard her laughter carry down the stairs.

* * *

Edmund's eyes widened as he walked into the Great Hall. _Lucy has outdone herself, probably better than Susan ever could,_ he thought as he took in the lavish decorations. He saw Peter pacing in front of the dais, his hands clasped tightly behind his back. Edmund chuckled and called, "Not getting cold feet are you, Pete?" Peter stopped abruptly and looked up, his brow furrowed.

"Of course not; why would you ask that?" he replied.

"Why are you pacing?" Edmund asked as he walked towards the dais, stepping onto it and sitting in his throne.

"Something just doesn't feel right," he replied.

"Something meaning…?" Edmund trailed off hesitantly.

"Today is exactly how I pictured it. This is the wedding I wanted for Laira, Lucy's seen to that. I just can't help but feel bad that Susan isn't here. I never thought she would miss my wedding," Peter explained. Edmund chuckled and leaned back in his throne.

"I guess that makes you both even because you're going to be missing hers," he said. Peter's jaw dropped.

"Hers? Who is she getting married to? Why wasn't I informed of this?" he asked.

"Well, I don't know if she's actually getting married, but G gave her cousin Robert permission to ask Susan to marry him a little while ago, so I can only assume she'll be getting married and you, of course, will miss her wedding," Edmund said jovially.

"How did she give him permission?" Peter asked. Edmund shrugged.

"I hardly understood it then, so I'm writing it off as Narnian magic until I can think about it a little longer," he replied. Peter chuckled and nodded.

"That seems to be the easiest thing to do most times," he said. Edmund stood and walked off the dais, clapping Peter on his back.

"Come on then, High King. Let's go get you ready so you're not late for your own wedding," he said as he led his brother out of the Great Hall.

* * *

Lucy dragged Georgie down the hall to her apartment she still shared with Peter. Georgie and Edmund had moved into their own suite when they were married, wanting a private room of their own.

"Lucy, slow down!" Georgie laughed as they hurried into the sitting room.

"We don't have time to slow down, Georgiana. I only have an hour to make both you and Laira queenly and neither of you have given me much to work with," Lucy said hurriedly.

"Lucy!" Georgie exclaimed indignantly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean that as horrible as it sounded. It's just that both of you are so flustered and have been running around all morning that… oh dear, I'm beginning to sound like Susan at her worst, aren't I?" Lucy cried. Georgie laughed and nodded.

"Calm down a bit, Lucy. Everyone will look beautiful as always and today will be wonderful. Laira surely doesn't want her future sister-in-law to look ragged because she was so wound up over today," Georgie said.

"She's waiting for us in here," Lucy said as she pushed open her bedroom door.

"Oh, you're finally here!" Laira exclaimed when she saw Lucy and Georgie walk into the room. Georgie looked worried when she saw how pale Laira's face looked.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Nerves," Laira giggled nervously. Lucy rolled her eyes.

"She's been pale all morning," she complained as she pushed Laira towards a chair sitting in front of a large mirror. "Just sit and relax while we make you into a queen," she ordered. Laira and Georgie exchanged glances in the mirror as Lucy walked behind a large changing screen.

"Is she always this bad?" Laira whispered. Georgie giggled and shook her head.

"She's nothing compared to how Susan would act before big events. You would have been sitting here hours ago had Susan been here," Georgie giggled. Laira frowned.

"I am a little unhappy that Susan isn't here, but I guess it can't be helped. It would have been nice to wait on her, although I am ready to be married," she said.

"Wait on her? What do you mean?" Georgie asked. Laira gave her a hesitant smile and shook her head.

"Oh, nothing. I'm not sure why I said that," she replied.

"Okay! Here's your dress!" Lucy cried happily as she came from behind the changing screen and laid the dress on the bed. Laira and Georgie both turned and looked, gasping at the dress.

"It's perfect," Laira breathed. She had not seen her dress since her last fitting, the dressmakers promising her it would be spectacular. A knock on the door caught the three women's attention and a familiar face peeped in. It was Hailah, the ladies' maid who had first helped Georgie when she had arrived in Narnia.

"Is Princess Laira ready to begin preparing for her wedding?" she asked cheerfully.

"Yes!" Laira said excitedly as she jumped up and followed Hailah out of the room. Georgie glanced at Lucy, her smile fading as she noticed her young sister-in-law's sad face.

"Lucy?" she asked. Lucy looked at the dress wistfully as she smoothed the dress's skirt and remained silent. "Your dress was supposed to be similar, wasn't it?" Georgie asked softly as she wrapped an arm around Lucy's waist. Lucy nodded. "I saw the sketches in Susan's room after you four disappeared. You would have been so beautiful in it, you know," Georgie said soothingly.

"I know," Lucy whispered. "And now I'll never know how it would have felt." Georgie wrapped her arms around Lucy, hugging her tightly.

"Nonsense," she said as she pulled back. "Everyone gets a happy ending here. Just you wait and see."

**AN: Okay... So I'm sorry for all the "filler" chapters that I seem to be writing. I keep wanting to just hurry up and get to the plot, but feel like I'd be cheating this story, all of you, and myself if I just left all this out. I'm enjoying it, don't get me wrong, I'm just ready to get to the good stuff! I think one more chapter and then I'll be finished with covering everything that will lead to I guess what I could refer to as the downhill of this story. **


	16. Chapter 16

Laira glanced in the tall gilt-framed mirror that hung in the room where she waited, smiling slightly over her appearance. As promised, Lucy had transformed her into a queen. Her billowing white dress flowed around her, delicate golden threads interwoven into the bodice of it. Atop her hair, which had been curled and pinned up, sat a glistening golden crown. Her crown. Peter had given it to her that morning, wanting her to wear it during their wedding. She heard a knock on the door and turned to see Lucy's face peep inside.

"Are you ready? It's time," she said excitedly. Laira nodded as she walked to the door. "You look absolutely lovely," Lucy added.

"Lucy, I'm so happy I get to be your sister," Laira said softly. Lucy smiled widely and hugged her tightly.

"I'm glad that you're making my brother so happy," she said. "Now," she said brightly as she pulled back. "Let's get you married!"

* * *

"Don't you look lovely," Georgie teased as she walked into Peter's study. He had gotten dressed in there earlier and was now waiting for the wedding to begin. Peter caught Georgie's grin in the mirror he was standing in front of and returned it with one of his own.

"Very funny, Georgiana," he laughed as he turned away from the mirror.

"I mean it. You look very nice. Perfect, in fact," Georgie said more seriously.

"Have you seen Laira? How is she?" he asked.

"Nervous, as I suspect most brides are on their wedding day," she replied.

"You suspect? You were just one!" Peter chuckled.

"Well, I suppose I was an exception. It also helped that we didn't have thousands of guests at our wedding," Georgie teased.

"True. Hopefully she won't realize that there are quite that many people until after we walk the aisle," Peter said.

"Peter, you do remember she was the crown princess of Archenland at one time, right? She should have been perfectly comfortable being the center of attention in front of that many people. She'll be alright. Laira really is quite wonderful and I couldn't be happier that she's becoming part of our family," Georgie said.

"Thank you," Peter said softly as he hugged his sister-in-law. When the two pulled back, Georgie gave Peter a quick smile before spinning and walking to the door. Stopping before she walked out, she said, "I'm going to go on in. Remember, Edmund and Lucy will walk in before you and Laira."

"I know, I know. We've been through this a million times. You should go sit down. I would hate for my future niece's or nephew's mother to be on her feet for too long," he said, winking at her.

"How did you…?" Georgie asked, trailing off.

"Did you really think Edmund could keep something like that a secret for very long?" he laughed. Georgie let out a noise of frustration.

"I told him not to tell you today!" she cried. Peter sobered and replied, "Georgiana, I can't think of anything else that would make today more perfect than to find out I'm going to be an uncle. Don't be too upset with Edmund. Now go! You're going to make me late for my wedding!"

* * *

Laira and Lucy walked down the hall to the doors of the Great Hall. Lucy felt Laira's fingers tighten on her arm as they neared the room where thousands of their friends waited. Glancing up, she saw Peter and Edmund waiting for them at the doors.

"Breathe, Laira. You're prettier," Lucy whispered softly, giggling at her own joke.

"He is handsome, isn't he?" Laira whispered back.

"We were wondering about you two!" Edmund said jovially.

"Well we figured we could take our time since the ceremony can't take place without Laira," Lucy replied. Laira looked silently at Peter, her eyes shining with happiness.

"Okay, well let's get started," Edmund said.

"We'll go in and then you two will follow," Lucy started. Peter shot her a frustrated look.

"Lucy, we know!" he said irritably.

"I hope you fix his short temper once you're married," Edmund chuckled as he grabbed Lucy's arm, sending Laira a wink. Laira watched as her future brother- and sister-in-law walked through the doors, which closed behind them. She smiled slightly at Peter as she stepped closer to him. His arms pulled her to him as he placed a small kiss on her forehead.

"Are you ready?" he asked. Laira nodded and wound her arm through his as they prepared to enter the Great Hall. "By the way, I love you," Peter whispered as the doors opened.

Laira's eyes widened as she saw thousands of heads turn towards the opened doors. She inhaled deeply as they began walking down the petal strewn aisle, their guests bowing as they passed by. The walk seemed to last an eternity; Laira's heart began to race faster as they neared the dais where the four marble thrones sat. Edmund and Lucy stood in front of their respective thrones, wide smiles on their faces. To Edmund's left stood Georgie and a man and a woman who held hands. Their faces were proud as they watched Peter and Laira walk closer, the woman dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. To the right of Lucy stood Laira's parents, King Sol and Queen Claire, both with tears in their eyes. Laira smiled at them, silently laughing at how sentimental they both were.

Peter led Laira in front of them, bowing to the king and queen. Laira dropped into a deep curtsey in front of her parents before being quickly grasped by her mother and hugged tightly. When Queen Claire released her, Laira was breathless from her mother's tight grasp. Giving her parents a quick smile, she allowed Peter to lead her to the other couple that stood opposite her parents.

"Mum, Dad," Peter said softly as he shook his father's hand and then hugged his mother.

"We couldn't be prouder of you, son," his father said proudly.

"Or happier to welcome such a beautiful new daughter," his mother said, smiling brightly at Laira. She nodded to Peter's mother and smiled.

"Shall we?" Peter whispered in her ear as he led her to the dais where Edmund and Lucy stood. As they turned, Laira saw Aslan coming up the aisle, the crowd bowing low as he passed them. When the Lion neared the dais he stopped and bowed his large head to the Pevensies and Laira, who in return bowed low to him.

"High King Peter, today is a day that has been a long time coming. Your lovely bride has been waiting for quite some time, you know," Aslan said, laughing deeply. Laira giggled as she squeezed Peter's hand tightly. He squeezed back and brought her hand to his lips, pressing a small kiss on it.

"Marriage is that union which binds one to another, accepting all faults and flaws and loving them despite all else. Today you both come together to join in this union out of love, honor and respect for each other. If you will both now turn together and recite your vows, which are eternal promises you make to each other," Aslan said, his deep voice resonating through the room. Peter and Laira both turned to each other, taking the other's hands.

"Laira, I promise to keep you as my wife, to honor you as a husband should and love you longer than time exists. I choose you to be my wife in the presence of Aslan and our friends. This is my solemn vow," Peter said evenly, a smile tugging at his lips as he spoke.

Laira took a deep breath and forced herself to remain calm as she repeated her vows, "Peter, I promise to keep you as my husband, to honor you as a wife should and love you longer than time exists. I choose you to be my husband in the presence of Aslan and our friends. This is my solemn vow." She heard a small wail from behind her and quietly snickered, rolling her eyes at Peter. She knew it was her mother – or quite possibly her father – who had begun to cry.

"By the power commanded to me by my father, the Emperor-Over-the-Sea, I pronounce that you are married, husband and wife to each other until eternity is done and infinite reaches its end. May your marriage be blessed by your deep love and devotion to one another. And now, High King, you may kiss your bride," Aslan said.

Peter put his finger under Laira's chin and tipped it up, kissing her gently on the lips. Laira gave a tiny sigh and wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. Light chuckles came from around them. Laira pulled back, blushing, as she looked up at her husband.

"Took us long enough, don't you think, darling?" Peter teased lightly as he leaned down and kissed her again. Aslan turned to the crowd, which had stood and was cheering loudly, and announced, "I give you High King Peter and his new wife, Queen Laira!"

* * *

Lucy sat in her throne and watched as her oldest brother and new sister-in-law danced among the dozens of swirling couples on the floor. She had never seen Peter look so happy in all her life, this life and the several others she had lived. Glancing at the throne next to her she placed her hand on its arm._ Oh, Susan, I wish you could have been here to see this_, she thought sadly.

Looking back out at the crowded floor, she saw Georgie rush through a side door, Edmund close behind her. She stood quickly, alarmed by what might have been wrong with her other sister-in-law.

"Queen Lucy?" she heard her name spoken from her left. Turning towards the voice, she saw Tirian's handsome face smiling worriedly at her. "Is everything alright?" he asked as he followed her gaze across the room.

"I'm not sure. I saw Queen Georgiana rush from the room," she replied.

"Would you like me to escort you to check on her?" he asked. Lucy grinned at him and shook her head.

"King Tirian, I'm hardly in need of an escort, but my brother Edmund went to check on her. I'm sure if there is a real emergency they will come find me," she replied. Tirian chuckled.

"I apologize, madam. I sometimes forget who I am talking to," he said, grinning.

"I'm glad to see you made it back in time for the wedding. Did you enjoy your visit with your father?" Lucy asked.

"I'm glad I made it back as well. It was a very nice ceremony and the High King and Queen seem very happy together. My visit with my father was pleasant, to say the least," Tirian answered, his voice tightening slightly when he spoke of his father. He glanced out at the dancers before asking, "Would you like to dance?"

"Yes, thank you," Lucy said as she placed her hand in his. She stared at him confusedly as he led her to the floor, wondering what his tone had meant as they began to dance. "Did something happen while you were dining with your father?" she asked curiously. Tirian's face relaxed into a smile.

"No, madam, my father just brought up several things that I had hoped he would not. You know how parents can be," he replied.

"I don't think I understand," Lucy said. Tirian sighed and frowned, startling Lucy. In the time she had known him she had never seen him sigh or look anything but polite and kind.

"What is it?" she asked.

"My father brought up the fact that I never married," Tirian said reluctantly.

"Oh," Lucy said softly.

"Before he passed, he wanted to see me married so that I could produce an heir to the Narnian throne. Wouldn't have done very much good, of course, now that the old Narnia no longer exists, right? Now that we are all here, in the real Narnia that hardly needs a ruler to continue his lineage, I thought maybe my father would not have still wanted me to marry to produce an heir," Tirian said, his voice tight as he spoke. Lucy was quiet as they spun on the floor.

"Perhaps he only wants to see you happy," she said after several silent moments.

"You are really the essence of kindness, madam," Tirian chuckled.

"Was there a reason you never married?" Lucy asked.

"I suppose I enjoyed my leisure a bit too much. I always thought a wife would mean having to stay at home rather than go out and enjoy sport or hunting, things I often did when I needed to escape from the daily stresses of castle life," he said, grinning. Lucy frowned.

"That doesn't exactly paint your opinion of women in a very good light," she said.

"You misunderstand me, Queen Lucy. I only meant that as a younger man when my father was still alive, I was not ready to give up my fun to settle down. Naivety of youth, I suppose. As I grew older, I considered it, but found very few women worth giving up everything for, none that I definitely would have. Perhaps had time lasted a bit longer, I might have been more willing to give up those things eventually," he said. Lucy sighed.

"I'm afraid I understand what you mean all too entirely, King Tirian. You view marriage as a situation that stifles your fun and as a burden that you have to endure. Some of us wanted to marry and never got the chance to marry those we loved. I'm afraid I cannot share your opinions of marriage," she said, pulling herself out of Tirian's arms and walking away from the floor. Tirian stood still, shocked at Lucy's sudden departure.

"It seems you've done something to upset my sister," a cheerful voice said from behind him. Tirian turned and saw Peter standing next to him, Laira wrapped under his arm and smiling at him.

"High King, Queen Laira. Allow me to offer my congratulations," Tirian said, smiling at the couple.

"Thank you, King Tirian. What's wrong with Lucy?" Laira asked.

"I'm afraid I don't know. I believe she was upset over something I said, but I'm not sure why she was exactly," he replied.

"What is it you were talking about?" Peter asked.

"Marriage," Tirian said.

"Oh, dear," Laira said, covering her mouth with her hand as she craned her neck to look for Lucy. "Should we go after her?"

"No. She'll be fine once she cools off," Peter replied.

"I'm afraid I don't understand," Tirian said.

"Lucy was to be married during one of her times in Narnia. The four of us were lost during a storm at sea and brought back to our own world and she never got to marry. Although I don't know why, she still sometimes gets a little upset over it," Peter explained.

"I imagine she still gets upset because she was heartbroken over it," Tirian said tightly, angry at himself for his insensitive explanation of his views on marriage.

"Well yes, there's that. The prince she was engaged to wasn't exactly my ideal choice for her, hardly worthy of a queen of Narnia. But she was in love with him, so I gave her my blessing, despite how little I actually liked him. He just seemed spineless and weak, always giving flowery speeches and over-complimenting her. Lucy ate it up, but I think after a while she would have grown tired of him," Peter explained.

"Why would she have grown tired of it? She seems to enjoy that type of attention," Tirian stated. Peter laughed and nodded.

"I think that's why she thought herself in love with him; he gave her all the compliments she could ever want and more. Lucy needs someone stronger though, who can handle her and keep up with her. She has a stubborn mind of her own and needs someone just as stubborn as she is," Peter chuckled.

"Peter, you shouldn't be talking about your sister like that. She's capable of knowing what type of person she should fall in love with," Laira said softly.

"That's true; she does know her own mind. Maybe we should go find her and Edmund and Georgiana to tell them goodnight before we leave," Peter said, grinning at Laira. She blushed as she shook her head slightly.

"Don't worry about Lucy. She'll calm down soon and then everything will be good as new," Laira said to Tirian as she and Peter walked away.

* * *

Lucy finally found Edmund waiting outside the room where Laira had been before the wedding, sounds of retching coming from inside. "Is that Georgiana?" she asked worriedly. Edmund nodded, his face paler than normal. "Is she okay? Should I go check on her?" Lucy asked.

"I'm fine, Lucy," she heard Georgiana call from behind the door. Edmund opened it and said, "You should have let me in, Georgiana." Georgie giggled at his stern face and shook her head.

"You'd better get used to this," she said.

"What are you talking about?" Lucy asked glancing between the couple. Peter and Laira walked up behind them, laughing as they approached.

"Yes, why don't you tell everyone what you're talking about, Georgiana?" Peter said, winking at her.

"Well, since Edmund's already spoiled it by telling you, I guess I'll fill in everyone else. We're going to have a baby," she said, smiling slowly.

"A baby! Oh, how wonderful!" Lucy squealed, hugging Georgie tightly.

"I helped, you know," Edmund grumbled. Lucy laughed lightly as she pulled away from Georgie and hugged her brother.

"This is wonderful! What a perfect end to a perfect day," Laira said as she hugged both Edmund and Georgie.

"Ahem," they heard a light voice behind them. Turning, they saw Caspian's wife approaching, a knowing grin on her face.

"I suppose congratulations are in order, Queen Georgiana. A baby is surely a wonderful blessing," she said, winking at Georgie.

"Did you overhear us?" Lucy asked.

"Overhear what?" Caspian's wife asked confusedly.

"Then how did you know?" Edmund asked.

"As I told your sister, the stars see everything. Georgiana, please let me know if there is anything you need, from one mother to another," she said, smiling warmly as she turned to go.

"When did she tell you that, Lu?" Peter asked. Lucy shrugged in confusion and shook her head. Caspian's wife glanced over her shoulder and smirked.

"Not Lucy. Susan. Who, by the way, will be coming home very soon," she said cryptically.

"Home? But how...?" Lucy trailed off. Caspian's wife tapped the side of her head and said, "As I said, the stars see everything."


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: This chapter contains a lot... I'm sure you all have guessed that this is the chapter where Susan returns. I didn't do a ton of overlap in it, so if you were hoping for a big reunion scene with Susan, I'm sorry. :) (to read it, however, you can always read the last chapter of Receiving Grace... it's a tear-jerker!) Enjoy! Your reviews are making me uber-happy! **

"Will you three please relax?" Georgie said exasperatedly as she watched Peter, Edmund and Lucy anxiously pace the courtyard.

"Georgiana, how can you be so calm? Susan's supposed to be here any minute now! I don't think I've ever been this worked up," Lucy exclaimed. The four turned as they saw Laira walk through the small archway that came from the garden, wearing a peculiar look on her face. Peter stopped his pacing and asked, "Darling, what's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing's wrong. There's just been a slight change," she started.

"Change? What do you mean? What's happened?" Lucy asked.

"Is Susan not coming?" Edmund asked worriedly. Laira waved her hands as she shook her head, giggling at the siblings.

"I'm sorry, that isn't what I meant. Susan is here, just not here at Cair Paravel. Aslan has sent her down along by Rush River," Laira explained.

"Where I was sent," Georgie said softly. Laira nodded.

"I believe he means for you to go to Susan and speak with her about why she's here. In the meantime, we have other guests," she said, holding out her hand towards the archway. A tall dark-haired man walked through holding the hand of a small child, a boy no older than six, and carrying a bundle in his arm.

"Robert!" Georgie cried as she rushed to greet her cousin, throwing her arms around him. Robert let go of the boy and hugged Georgie, chuckling over her excitement.

"Careful, Georgie, don't squish my daughter," he laughed. Georgie pulled back and peered at the tiny baby in his arms.

"Oh, she is Susan all over," she cooed as she ran her finger over the baby's face, taking in her dark head of hair and clear blue eyes. She felt a quick tug on her skirt and turned, smiling at the little boy who held onto Robert's leg.

"You must be Prince Edward," she said as she held out her hand to the boy. He hesitantly shook it and said, "I'm just Edward. I'm not a prince."

"Oh, but here you are!" Georgie said happily. Straightening, she looked at Robert and smiled. "Come meet your new family!" she said as she pulled Edward with her towards the Pevensies. "Robert, this is Peter, Susan's oldest brother, and his wife Laira," she started. Robert shook Peter's extended hand.

"Thank you for all you've done for my sister," Peter said.

"This is Lucy, Susan's sister," Georgie said, pointing to Lucy. Robert shook Lucy's hand and smiled warmly as he placed his hand on Edward's back.

"This is Edward. He has been very anxious to meet you," Robert chuckled as he slightly pushed Edward forward. Lucy crouched beside him and held out her hand. Edward shook it gently, a hesitant smile on his face.

"I'm your Aunt Lucy. Did you know that?" she asked, smiling widely at him. Edward's grin grew and nodded his head. "We're going to be good friends," Lucy said as she hugged her nephew.

"I'm Edmund Pevensie," Edmund said, holding out his hand to Robert. Robert shook his hand and said, "Very nice to meet you. All of you. I admit it's very odd meeting my wife's siblings when they're supposed to be dead, but it's even odder meeting three of Narnia's kings and queens of old. Of course, I suppose no odder than finding out you're married to one." The three Pevensie siblings laughed happily.

"I believe Queen Georgiana and I will agree," Laira said, sending a wink to Georgie.

"Queen Georgiana?" Robert asked, raising his eyebrows at his cousin.

"Queen Georgiana Pevensie, to be exact," she replied. Robert laughed loudly and replied, "Well, then Queen Georgiana, I suppose I should introduce myself at King Robert the Hero." Georgie laughed and shook her head.

"Please tell me Susan isn't really allowing you to call yourself that," she said as she wiped tears from her eyes. Robert rolled his eyes and chuckled.

"So I guess now you're officially my sister instead of just my cousin. Any other surprises I need to know about?" he asked.

"Well…" Georgie said, trailing off as she ran her hand over her slightly grown stomach. A slow smile crept onto Robert's face.

"Oh, Susan is going to be ecstatic when she finds out," he said as he placed a kiss on Georgie's head.

"Speaking of Susan, don't you think we should go get her?" Edmund asked.

"No, it has to be Georgiana who goes," Laira said softly.

"But we can go, too!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Lucy, it won't take long. You've waited long enough to see Susan; a few more minutes won't hurt," Georgie said gently, hoping to not hurt Lucy's feelings.

"Georgiana, she's our sister. We should be able to go see her first," Peter argued.

"Please, let me. I think I understand why it has to be me to meet Susan," Georgie said.

"G…" Edmund began but quickly stopped when he caught his wife's warning glare.

"Edmund, please, just stay here. Why don't you and Peter go show Edward the castle grounds? I bet he would like that," she said, smiling down at her nephew. Edmund smiled at her and nodded before bending down and scooping Edward into his arms, inciting a loud squeal from the boy.

"Come on, little prince. I'll show you how to use a sword," he said. Peter laughed as he followed his brother.

"May I?" Lucy asked as she held her arms out to the baby Robert held in his arms.

"Of course," he said. He gently passed the sleeping infant to Lucy's arms. Lucy smiled at the baby, touching her tiny nose in delight.

"Georgiana, why don't you go find Susan, talk to her and bring her back? I'll show Robert where he and Susan will stay," Laira suggested.

"Hurry. Bring my sister home," Lucy said softly without looking up from her niece.

* * *

Georgie walked along the river, smiling as she neared the spot where she had first come to Narnia after the train wreck. She had never imagined her life would be as perfect as it now was, married to the man of her dreams, a part of a family more dear to her than anything in the world. Seeing her cousin and his children and knowing that she was soon to be reunited with the woman who had always been a sister to her made her heart soar. She turned a bend in the river's bank and stopped. Sitting where she had expected to see Susan was a large Lion.

"Aslan!" she exclaimed happily, lifting her skirt and hurrying towards him. She knelt beside him and threw her arms around his mane. "Thank you so much for today. I don't think I could be any happier," she said. Aslan chuckled.

"I suppose I should scold you slightly, dear one, but since you have made the ones I love happy as well, I can hardly hold anything against you," he said as teasingly as a Lion was able. Georgie smiled and blushed.

"I know we elaborated a bit, but when Laira and I saw that Susan wished for Robert and Edward to see Narnia, we wanted her home. I've watched what Susan has gone through and seen how she's changed. I know she's ready to be Queen Susan again," Georgie said. Aslan nodded and said, "I agree. She has done beautifully accepting her challenges and finding her strength as a queen should. I would not have brought her back had I thought otherwise."

"Where is she?" Georgie asked, glancing around the field.

"She's behind that door," Aslan said.

"What door?" Georgie asked. There was no door anywhere, his words confusing her.

"That door," he answered, turning his head to the side. Georgie looked again and gasped. A tall, nondescript wooden door stood in the middle of the field.

"Do you think she'll be angry we've brought her back?" Georgie asked nervously as she and Aslan stood. Aslan shook his head.

"It is for Susan to decide how she feels and her choice alone if she wants to stay. She is free to leave at her choosing," Aslan said as he turned and walked behind the door. Georgie followed him around it, gasping again when she saw he had disappeared. Confused, she walked back to the spot where Aslan had sat and waited. _What if she prefers England to here? What if she doesn't want to come back and be queen? Robert will surely leave with her if she chooses to go,_ she thought, her mind racing with these questions and more. A small noise caught her attention and she turned towards the door to see its knob turn slowly. A smile began to tug at the corners of her mouth as it opened, the smile widening when she saw Susan standing in the open doorway. She gave a slight wave and called, "Well it's about time you got here, Susan. I've been waiting on you."

* * *

Time seemed to pass by slowly if at all when Lucy heard her family return to the courtyard. Peter and Edmund came first with Edward, who was full of excitement from seeing his new home. Laira and Robert returned last talking as if they were old friends. Lucy stood slowly and walked to Robert, passing him his daughter.

"She and I have been getting to know each other," Lucy said, smiling at the baby.

"She seems to like you," Robert said as his daughter waved a tiny fist at Lucy.

"What's taking G so long?" Edmund complained as he sat on a stone bench.

"Georgiana had much to tell Susan. Give them some time, Susan deserves that much," Laira said quietly as she glanced towards the archway.

"Darling, what do you mean by that?" Peter asked curiously. Laira shook her head.

"Let's wait until Georgiana returns. She'll be able to explain better than I could," she replied. The baby started to fuss causing their heads to turn. Robert smiled lightly and shook his head.

"Duty calls, I suppose. I'm going to go check on her quick before Susan gets back. Edward, you'll behave, won't you?" he asked his son sternly.

"He'll be fine. We'll keep an eye on him," Peter said as he ruffled Edward's hair. Moments after Robert had left Edward turned towards the archway, his eyes widening.

"What's that?" he asked as he peered curiously.

"What's what?" Edmund asked, following his nephew's gaze.

"I heard something," Edward whispered. The five were quiet, listening to hear what Edward had heard. The light sound of laughter caught their ears. "Mummy!" Edward cried as he ran toward the archway.

"Edward, come back!" Peter called after him.

"Let him go. He'll be right back with your sister," Laira said softly as she wrapped her arm around her husband's waist. Time slowed, nearly stopping, as the Pevensies waited anxiously for their sister to appear. Lucy turned towards her siblings, her heart racing.

"I'm so nervous I can hardly stand it! Why did we let Georgiana go meet her while we stayed here?" she cried. The faint sound of heels clicking on the cobblestone walk of the courtyard caught her ears. Lucy slowly turned, her eyes widening when she saw Georgiana and a familiar woman being pulled by Edward walk through the archway. Her dark hair was loose, flowing as it always had, a gold crown sitting on the top of her head. She looked older, but still young and beautiful the way Lucy had always pictured her whenever she thought of her sister. Her heart began to beat faster as she smiled widely.

"Susan!" she cried as she ran to her sister. Susan released her son's hand and hurried to her, both sisters wrapping their arms around each other tightly. Lucy felt tears building in her eyes as she squeezed her older sister tightly, exclaiming, "Oh, Susan! I've waited and waited and now you're here!"

* * *

"Queen Lucy?" Tirian called as he walked into the garden. The day had turned to dusk, the sky turning darker as the sun set. Lucy turned from where she leaned against the low garden wall. Her brothers and sister had left her a good while earlier while she had remained in the garden.

"King Tirian, what are you doing here?" she asked stiffly. She was still upset from their last conversation and had held it against him since.

"We have not talked much you since your brother's wedding. I wanted to apologize for upsetting you that night," Tirian answered as he leaned on the wall next to Lucy.

"I was not upset," Lucy said defensively as she turned away.

"Your actions would suggest otherwise. It seems like you've been avoiding me," he chuckled. Lucy glanced quickly at him, her lips pursed.

"I've been busy," she said.

"Yes, I've noticed. Your sister returning has turned Cair Paravel upside down. I know you're excited she's here," Tirian said.

"Yes, I am. Susan has always belonged with us," Lucy replied shortly.

"Her husband and family seem most charming as well," Tirian continued, hoping to engage Lucy in more conversation.

"They are a welcome addition to our family," Lucy agreed, smiling tightly at him.

"Madam, are we to be friends no longer?" Tirian asked softly. Lucy glared at him and replied, "I did not think we were friends in the beginning. We are acquaintances, to be sure, monarchs of Narnia, but I believe that is all. If you'll excuse me." Lucy turned to leave. Tirian reached out and grabbed her hand, causing her to stop and spin towards him, a wide-eyed look on her face.

"Lucy, please," he said softly, his eyes pleading. Lucy stiffened and drew her mouth into a line, forcing herself not to show any of the wild emotions she felt as his hand gently squeezed hers.

"I do not believe I gave you leave to call me Lucy," she said tightly, swallowing away the lump that had formed in her throat. Tirian frowned and sighed, dropping her hand from his.

"As you wish, your majesty," he said as he stormed from her.

* * *

Lucy walked into her new bedroom and hopped onto her bed, sprawling back onto the fluffy pillows. She had been in her new room since her sister had returned; Susan and Robert had moved into the Pevensies' old apartment with Edward and baby Lillian. It had seemed like Susan had been back with them forever, time passing both quickly and slowly for everyone. Lucy sighed. Her room felt like a prison to her today. She had come in there to hide and sulk, hating the fact that she was allowing herself to do so.

Earlier at breakfast she had seen Tirian, the first time since their argument in the garden some time ago, and had caught his handsome smile as he laughed with one of the ladies at the table. A strange feeling had come over her then and still weighed on her now as she lay on her bed. She knew it shouldn't bother her that Tirian was laughing and, in her opinion, flirting with someone else when they were fighting. _But why does it?_ she thought as she flung an arm over her eyes.

A knock sounded on the door and, without moving, she called, "Come in."

"Lucy?" Susan asked as she peered in the room.

"I'm here," Lucy said as she sat up on her bed.

"What's wrong? Are you ill?" Susan asked, sitting on the bed next to her sister. Lucy shook her head.

"No, I'm alright. Just needed a moment alone," she answered.

"Would you like me to go?" Susan asked.

"No, stay. I could hardly ever want you to go again," Lucy said, smiling slightly.

"Lucy, you know I'm not going to leave for good," Susan laughed as she squeezed her sister's hand. Lucy nodded. "Tell me what has happened between you and King Tirian," Susan asked bluntly.

"Oh! That. It's nothing really," Lucy said hesitantly.

"Lucy, come on now. I'm your sister and can tell there's something the matter with you," Susan prodded. Lucy was silent as she pondered the best way to explain what had happened between her and Tirian. "Lucy, just spit it out," Susan said gently.

"He was talking to that other woman!" Lucy blurted out. Her eyes widened and she clamped her hand over her mouth, astonished at what she had said. Susan smiled knowingly.

"Yes, he was, but I suppose you must have missed the many, _many_ glances he kept making at you when he thought no one was looking. Surely you're not jealous though. There aren't many here who can compare to you, you know," Susan said.

"Maybe I am jealous, but I shouldn't be!" Lucy cried.

"Sometimes we can't help feelings of jealousy," Susan started, stopping when she saw Lucy shake her head.

"It isn't that. I've been jealous before but this is different. I shouldn't be jealous because I don't like him!" she said, sniffling slightly.

"You don't like him? Lucy, that isn't like you. You like practically everyone," Susan said questioningly. Lucy huffed and leaned back on her arms. "What happened between the two of you?" Susan slowly asked.

"We had a fight," she replied.

"A fight? When?" Susan asked surprised. Lucy rarely fought with anyone, especially those outside of their family.

"The night you returned," Lucy said quietly as she looked at her lap.

"What did you fight about?" Susan pried.

"I don't know exactly. He was trying to talk to me and I didn't want to talk to him. I was still mad at him for what happened after Peter's wedding and... I don't really know what happened from there," she answered, wiping a tear away from her eye.

"Lucy, none of this sounds like you. The few times I've seen you argue with someone, or been the person you've argued with, you've had very good reasons to do so. What aren't you telling me?" Susan asked sternly. Lucy looked up, her lower lip trembling slightly.

"We had a ball after Peter's wedding and Tirian and I were dancing and discussing a conversation he had earlier with his father about marriage. He acted as if the very idea of marriage was a nightmare, a trap set for men to give up any joy and happiness they might have in life. I just became so angry about it. It's been hard, Susan, being here alone. I love being here, it's been wonderful since the second I got here. But everyone has someone: Edmund found Georgiana, Peter and Laira were reunited... even Eustace and Jill have been acting silly together. It's all reminded me of the fact that I never got my chance to have happiness with someone. To hear him talk as if it was a punishment made me angrier than I've been in a long time," Lucy said, her face growing harder as she finished.

"Oh, Lucy," Susan said softly as she took her younger sister in her arms, hugging her tightly. She felt the sleeve of her dress dampen from Lucy's tears as she rubbed her back soothingly. "Please believe me when I say I know how you feel, but don't let your anger and hurt over another man affect your feelings towards one who is, in my opinion, very noble indeed," Susan said gently. Lucy looked up, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

"What are you saying Susan? That I should forget what he said and act as if nothing has happened?" she asked astonished. Susan shook her head and answered, "No, what I'm saying is that not everything, or everyone for that matter, is as it seems. Sometimes we jump to conclusions too quickly. Us Pevensies are notorious for doing that and we usually find ourselves in a bit of a mess. Give King Tirian another chance, find out a little more about his opinion before making one of your own. You owe yourself that much," Susan advised. Lucy thought about her sister's advice and nodded.

"You're right," she whispered.

"Good. Now, why don't you dry your eyes and come sit outside with Lillie and me while we watch Edmund try to teach my son how to use a sword?" Susan said, smiling mischievously. Lucy gave a teary laugh and nodded as she hopped off the bed to wash her face. When she had washed the last of her tears away and ran a comb through her long hair, the two sisters left the room, arm in arm, to go watch the training of Narnia's newest prince.

Lucy's side had begun to hurt from laughing so hard at her brother and nephew as Edmund tried to show Edward how to use a sword. She and Susan had spread a blanket on the grass near the training grounds where they and baby Lillian now sat. Peter and Robert had joined them and were both now trying to help with Edward's lessons.

"But I want to fight like Uncle Peter and Uncle Edmund!" Lucy heard Edward cry. She and Susan both laughed again.

"That's what you boys get for showing off in front of a six year old!" Susan called, commenting on the sparring show Peter and Edmund had put on before Edmund began to teach Edward how to properly use a sword.

"You might have warned us before, Su," Peter called back.

"What, and miss watching my two favorite duelers show off? Never!" she said teasingly.

"What about me?" Robert called.

"Yes, you're my favorite, too," she called back, laughing over his wink.

"Although you're a bit rusty," Edmund chuckled as he nudged Robert.

"Well, I'm good at other things. Isn't that right, love?" he called to Susan, giving her a second wink. Lucy let out a peal of laughter as she saw Susan blush and heard her brothers groan.

"Oh, come on, she's our sister!" Edmund groaned. Robert chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"Oh, stop being such a wet blanket, Ed!" Susan called to her brother, laughing at their old joking nickname.

"Uncle Edmund!" Edward cried as he tugged on Edmund's tunic. "I want to learn something new!" Susan and Lucy laughed as Edmund sighed and nodded, turning back to the boy.

"Maybe I should go save our brothers," Susan said as she handed Lillian to Lucy and stood. "Edward! How about we give your uncles a break and I show you what I can do?" Lucy heard her call to her son. Susan waved to one of the guards, who brought her the bow and quiver of arrows she had received during their first visit to Narnia.

"Look at your mummy, Lillie," Lucy whispered to the baby.

"Is your sister going to give a demonstration?" a voice asked. Lucy looked up and saw Tirian standing next to the blanket, his eyes watching Susan as she pulled one of her red-feathered arrows from her quiver.

"I believe she is," Lucy said, hoping her voice sounded kinder than the last time she and Tirian had talked.

"The stories about her talent are legendary," he said glancing down at Lucy. Lucy smiled.

"The stories are true," she replied. Tirian crouched next to her and ran his finger over the baby's knee, smiling slightly as Lillian gurgled at him.

"Queen Lucy, I want to apologize for everything that has happened between us," he said, unable to meet Lucy's eyes.

"I suppose I should apologize too, King Tirian, for how I've behaved. I've been unfair in judging you the way I have without giving you any chance to explain your views," she replied.

"Thank you. I believe we're even in apologies now," he said, grinning teasingly at her.

"Would you like to sit with us and watch Susan? She really is very good," Lucy said as she motioned to the empty spot on the blanket.

"Yes, thank you," Tirian replied, moving to the spot and sitting. The two watched Susan shoot, her arrow hitting the target square in the center ring. "She's incredible!" Tirian said.

"That she is," Lucy agreed, clapping Lillian's hands together and giggling as she saw her nephew clap as well.

"Are you as talented?" he asked. Lucy smiled and shook her head.

"Not nearly. I'm a fair archer; I've led our archers into battle before, but I don't come near as close to matching Susan's talent. Georgiana, on the other hand, does. When we were all in Narnia together, she and Susan would have competitions to see who was the better archer. Needless to say, it was always a tie," Lucy chuckled. The two were quiet for several moments as they watched Susan show Edward how to hold a bow.

"It's funny, watching your siblings and their spouses after our conversation about marriage," Tirian began.

"Oh? How so?" Lucy asked casually and tried to ignore the butterflies forming in her stomach. She had feared speaking of this topic with Tirian again, worried it would end in another argument.

"What I said before... I feel you took my meaning the wrong way and I am truly sorry if I indicated in any way that I felt the way you thought I did. Perhaps at one time I saw marriage as an end to the life I enjoyed, the life I loved. I suppose I might have seen it differently had I met the right person, but every woman I was introduced to was so dull and vain; they only wanted to be queen of Narnia and I despised them all for that. That's probably the reason I saw marriage as a trap for me. But I look at your siblings and see how completely perfect they are with their spouses. Not one of them looks trapped. Perhaps my first thoughts on marriage were wrong," he explained. Lucy was silent, her heart racing from Tirian's explanation.

Taking a deep breath, she said, "I was engaged to be married to the prince of Terebinthia. I was so excited about being married, about having a husband and one day children. We were returning from a visit to Terebinthia where Peter and the king there had negotiated my engagement when a storm hit our ship and we were tossed overboard and returned to our home in England. I was a little girl again there, nine years old; do you know how hard it is to understand the feelings I felt when you had the brain of a child? I suppose I recovered from it quickly, resilient as children are, but it was still hard seeing others fall in love and feeling like I missed my chance," Lucy said sadly.

"Maybe you haven't missed your chance," Tirian said softly, looking sympathetically at Lucy. She stared into his eyes, unflinching as she saw them change from sympathetic to another look she couldn't quite understand.

"Your majesties!" someone called urgently from behind her. Startled, Lucy turned quickly away from Tirian to see Tumnus the faun hurrying towards them.

"Mr. Tumnus!" Lucy exclaimed, happy to see her old friend. "What is it?" she asked, concerned over his worried face.

"Aslan wants to see you. All of you," Mr. Tumnus said solemnly.

* * *

Lucy followed her brothers and sister into the Council's chambers and saw several others had gathered in there. Georgiana and Laira were both seated in their thrones, worried looks on their faces. Eustace, Jill, Diggory and Polly were seated in four of the chairs that lined the wall, all of their faces equally as worried. Robert and Tirian both took seats opposite of them as Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy went to their thrones at the front of the room.

"Professor Kirke, what's happening?" Peter asked once they were seated. Diggory shook his head and replied, "I'm afraid I do not know. We were all summoned here by the faun and told Aslan wished to speak with us." The door to the chamber opened as Aslan entered the room followed by Mr. Tumnus. The Lion nodded to all of them before he began.

"Thank you for coming. I have asked you here because all of you, at some point in your lives, have given of yourselves to Narnia, fought to defend and honor it or saved its people from the danger that threatened them. Now there is a new threat, not to this world but to another that is no less dear to my heart as my own country. That world needs your help to face this threat and save it before it is destroyed," Aslan explained solemnly. He turned to each person in the room before continuing, "You are Narnia's greatest heroes. All I ask is that you be those heroes one more time."


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: Okay... I was a little hesitant about this chapter and certain scenes from it. Don't get me wrong, I like it and am liking where it's heading... it's just different from everything else! I just hope not TOO different!**

The room erupted into gasps and shouts of surprise, everyone talking at once. Aslan stared imploringly at Peter.

"High King," he said solemnly. Peter nodded.

"Enough!" he called loudly, standing from his throne. The room went silent as all eyes turned to Peter. "Aslan, please, what can we do?" Peter asked as he sat again.

"There is another world called Choras. It has been invaded by those from a separate world, those who have entered Choras through a chasm somewhere within their world," Aslan began.

"Like the Telmarines!" Edmund exclaimed. Aslan nodded.

"I was unable to prevent or stop that invasion as it was merely a part Narnia's true path. This, however, is not the path that Choras was meant to follow. These invaders have somehow entered into that world through a means of their own making," Aslan said.

"Aslan, could it be that perhaps these invaders are from Choras itself and have just rebelled against their fellow countrymen?" Diggory asked.

"No, I have considered that possibility as well, but these invaders are not Chorins. You will see their differences soon enough," Aslan replied gravely. The room was silent for several moments as everyone digested the news Aslan had given them.

"Aslan, what do you need us to do?" Robert finally spoke, breaking the silence.

"You must travel to Choras and stop these invaders, find how they have entered into Choras and close the chasm," Aslan said.

"But Aslan, we're dead," Edmund stated.

"Not all of us," Susan said quietly, exchanging a glance with Robert. Lucy laid her hand on Susan's arm.

"But we are," she said, turning to Aslan and adding, "How can we leave your country if we've died?"

"By magic, of course!" Jill said eagerly.

"That's right! Good thinking, Pole," Eustace agreed, thumping his friend on her back.

"Ow," she said, glaring at him.

"What are you two talking about?" Peter asked.

"Caspian left Aslan's Country after he died and returned to England with us, as real as he had ever been. It wasn't like he was a ghost or something, but a real flesh and blood person. Of course, it was only for five minutes, but Aslan was the one who decided that," Eustace explained excitedly.

"Sir, is this your plan for us?" Peter asked. Aslan nodded.

"I will send you to the Wood between the Worlds where you will then find the entrance to Choras," Aslan answered.

"The Wood between the Worlds? What is that?" Laira asked, glancing at Peter.

"We've been there, haven't we Diggory?" Polly asked, grinning at him. Diggory nodded and explained, "There are hundreds of little pools in the woods, each one leading to a different world. That was how we first entered into Narnia."

"How will we know which one will lead us to Choras?" Robert asked.

"You will know once you have seen it. The pool will be different from the others, a mark that there is something amiss in its world," Aslan answered.

"When do we leave?" Georgie asked.

"You don't," Edmund said quietly as he stared at his wife.

"I do," Georgie replied as she glared at him.

"G, you know I would let you go under any other circumstances," Edmund began, shooting a quick glare at his siblings who had begun to snicker. Turning back to Georgie he continued, "I can't let you go and risk the baby." Georgie huffed and sat back in her throne, her lips drawn together angrily. She glanced at Aslan and caught his slight grin, fighting one of her own as he winked at her.

"I will need some to stay behind at Cair Paravel. There is a need for you here as well," Aslan said.

"What about my children? I should probably be the one to stay," Susan said, a touch of sadness in her voice.

"No, Susan! You're the best archer in the history of Narnia. We need you!" Jill exclaimed. Polly placed her hand over Diggory's, exchanging a knowing look with him, before turning to the others.

"Diggory and I will stay here. Neither of us has your experience and knowledge of battles and would probably make more of a nuisance of ourselves than be of any real help. We will look after Cair Paravel and your children, Susan," she said.

"Thank you," Susan said gently, smiling at the woman. Aslan nodded and turned to Tirian, who had remained silent.

"King Tirian, last king of Narnia, what do you say of all this?" he asked. Inhaling deeply, Tirian glanced about the room at Narnia's most famous heroes. They had all helped to save Narnia and several of his ancestors at some point in his world's history and had come at times of Narnia's greatest needs and given unselfishly of themselves without question or reward. His eyes caught Lucy's imploring stare, determination overtaking him as her eyes pleaded with him to help. Standing, he repeated Georgie's question, "When do we leave?"

They were set to leave the next morning at first light. Lucy woke before dawn and dressed, anxious to begin their journey. She walked quietly down the hall and towards the weapons chamber hoping to find her old bow before they left for the Wood between the Worlds. Lucy pushed open the heavy wooden door and stepped into the dimly lit chamber. Weapons of all sizes hung on the walls. As she looked for her bow she heard a noise, the small clang of metal hitting against metal.

"Who's there?" she called.

"Queen Lucy?" she heard Tirian reply as he peered around from a small alcove.

"What are you doing in here?" Lucy asked, raising an eyebrow at him. Tirian chuckled as he walked towards her.

"I would ask you the same thing," he replied. Lucy smiled as she picked up a sword from a rack.

"I came to find a weapon to bring with me," she said as she turned the sword in her hand.

"And that's what you chose? Do you actually know how to use a sword?" Tirian asked skeptically.

"Yes," Lucy replied irritably. Tirian grinned as he picked up one of the swords and pointed it at Lucy.

"Well, show me," he challenged. Lucy looked at him incredulously. He was taunting her, not believing that she knew how to use a sword_._

_I'll show him,_ she thought as she lifted her sword, swinging it through the air. It clashed against Tirian's, the sound of metal meeting metal ringing through the room. He swung his own sword, bringing it down at Lucy who neatly dodged his attack. She met each of his blows, sparring both defensively and offensively against him, using several of her brothers' techniques she had seen them use in the many years that she had watched them practice.

Tirian's grin melted from his face as he dodged Lucy's thrust. "Where did you learn to fight like this?" he asked breathlessly as he swung his sword at her, meeting hers high in the air.

"My brothers are two of Narnia's most gifted swordsmen. Did you really think I didn't learn a thing or two from them?" she laughed as she spun away from him. Tirian let out a noise of frustration as he glared at Lucy. She stood next to the far wall of the room, her sword relaxed as she grinned smugly at him. Seeing his opportunity a devious smile grew on his face.

"You seem to have put me in my place, madam. You are indeed quite the swordsman and have seemed to learn quite a bit from your brothers. But you see, while they both are quite gifted swordsmen," he started, tossing his sword from his left hand to his right before continuing, "I, too, am the best in Narnia." He spun quickly and swung his sword towards Lucy, catching her by surprise. She felt the sharp sting of the flat of his sword on her wrist as her sword flew into the air. In a move too quick for her to see, Tirian caught her sword in his free hand while he cornered against the wall, the side of his own sword pressed against her. She glared at him, her eyes wide in surprise as her heart hammered inside her chest. Tirian stared into her eyes, feeling her chest rise and fall against him as she breathed. He nearly chuckled at the anger that seemed to grow in her eyes.

"What is going on in here?" a sharp voice said behind them. Lucy let out a cry of frustration as she pushed Tirian away from her and stormed through the room. Peter stood at the entrance to the weapons chamber, a shocked look on his face. Lucy glanced up at him and saw Laira peeping behind his shoulder, an amused look grinning at her. Seeing her bow hanging on the wall near the doorway, Lucy grabbed it off its hook and picked up a quiver of arrows that hung below it.

"Nothing," she said sharply as she pushed past her brother and sister-in-law.

"Your sword, Queen Lucy!" Tirian called after her jovially.

"Keep it!" Lucy cried back. Peter turned to Tirian and chuckled, shaking his head in amusement.

"I may have underestimated you, King Tirian," he laughed, clapping the king on the back. Tirian laughed as well and replied, "Just as I feel I may have underestimated your sister, High King."

Lucy stormed out of the castle, her heart still racing from what had happened in the weapons chamber. She still could not believe she had dueled with Tirian and found it even harder to believe he had unarmed her as easily as he had. Her hand tightened around her bow. _Why am I so angry about this? I don't care that I lost or even how smug he looked when he won_, she thought as she remembered the way he had grinned at her, his body trapping her against the wall.

"Lucy? What's wrong?" Susan called worriedly. Lucy looked up and saw Susan and Robert standing with Edmund, Georgie, Eustace and Jill. She felt her face relax as she forced herself to calm down.

"Nothing, I'm fine," she said as she reached the group. Susan peered at her curiously, but remained silent. Moments later Peter, Laira and Tirian joined them; Lucy scowled when she saw that Tirian had brought the sword she had used earlier, strapped to his back in its sheath. He caught her look and grinned.

"Just in case," he said quietly to her.

"So where do we go from here?" Peter asked.

"Aslan said to meet him at the Hermit's pool. We- I mean, you travel from there," Georgie answered, frowning at Edmund's dark look he shot her.

"Well, let's go then," Peter said, leading the group towards the Hermit's house and the pool.

When they reached the pool they saw Aslan and the Hermit standing next to the it, calm looks on both their faces.

"Welcome, young friends," the Hermit called as they neared.

"Come, gather near me," Aslan said. All except Georgie stood close to Aslan, who breathed his warm breath on them. Lucy felt warmth enter her body, beginning at her fingertips and traveling up her arms until it pooled and swirled in her chest. "You will be living as before once you enter the Wood between the Worlds, human once again. When you find the pool that leads to Choras, you will be able to enter it without the aid from any physical object. My breath has given you this power but beware: with your ability to enter one world you will have the ability to enter others. Use great caution that you do not enter the incorrect world," Aslan said warningly.

"Aslan, what happens if we should die while stopping this threat?" Jill asked timidly.

"Child, what have you to fear? You have faced death once before and know the outcome of it," Aslan replied reassuringly.

"So, if we die there, we simply come back here?" Edmund asked. Aslan nodded.

"What about us, Aslan? We haven't died," Susan stated.

"Do you doubt what will happen?" Aslan asked.

"Never again," Susan whispered, smiling slightly at the Lion.

"How do we get to the Wood between the Worlds?" Peter asked.

"You will travel through my pool, the connection to the Wood from Aslan's Country," the Hermit said, smiling at the group.

"Enter the pool two-by-two. Peter, Susan, you will be first," Aslan instructed. The brother and sister both nodded and stepped to the pool. Aslan placed his right paw at the edge of the water, which began to shimmer in the dim morning light. Peter and Susan took two steps into the water and suddenly went under, submerging completely. Lucy gasped sharply as she saw her oldest siblings disappear.

"Edmund, Lucy," Aslan said, calling the two youngest Pevensies forward. Lucy turned to her brother and saw him embrace Georgie, giving her a quick kiss before he walked to the edge of the pool. The two stepped forward into the water. Lucy's eyes widened in surprise as she took a second step into the pool; the water, which should have soaked her shoes and dress, did not seem to touch her. As she marveled over this she felt a small tugging pulling her downward before the world disappeared and clear blue light began to swirl around her. Before she knew it, she stood in a deep wood, soft green light filtering through the thick foliage. The air was warm, pleasant in the wood which was filled with tall trees, their branches forming a thick canopy over them. She glanced down and saw she was still standing in a pool, her feet and dress still dry.

"Come on, you two. The others will be here soon," Susan said. Seconds after Edmund and Lucy stepped out of the pool, Robert and Eustace appeared soon followed by Tirian and Jill. Several moments passed as they waited for Laira, the final person, to appear.

"Where is she?" Peter asked Tirian and Jill, who had been the last to see her. Jill shrugged.

"She was right behind us when we walked into the pool," she replied, glancing worriedly at the water.

"Peter, she'll be here," Lucy said gently as she placed her hand on her brother's arm. More seconds passed as they group silently stared at the pool, waiting for Laira to appear. She finally did, smiling nervously as she stood in the water. She was not alone.

"Georgiana!" Edmund said loudly as he pulled his wife out of the pool. "What are you doing here? I told you to stay behind!" he said, his voice shaking with anger.

"Edmund, stop it. Aslan said I was needed. I couldn't stay behind," she said calmly.

"You let her come?" Peter asked Laira, his voice nearly as angry as his brother's.

"I didn't let her do anything. You can both stand there and say we don't need her, but I think you know that we do. Aslan thought we did and we weren't going to argue," Laira responded, her anger flaring as well.

"Well, I'm glad you're here with us!" Lucy said happily as she hugged Georgie, gently pushing her brother aside.

"Yes, we'll make sure you and the baby stay safe," Susan agreed, wrapping her arm around Georgie's shoulders. Lucy smiled when she saw Edmund close his eyes and sigh, knowing he was about to give in to them.

"Alright, I see that I'm outnumbered. But if anyone's going to keep you and the baby safe, it's going to be me," he said, taking Georgie's hand in his own and placing a small kiss on it.

"Thank you," she whispered as she leaned up and kissed his cheek. Eustace groaned, causing the others to chuckle.

"Can we continue, please?" he asked impatiently.

The group began searching for the pool that led to Choras, wandering deeper into the wood as they inspected each pool they passed.

"If only we knew what we were looking for!" Eustace said exasperatedly.

"Aslan said we would know when we saw it. Don't get worked up," Jill said as she stared at a pool at her feet. Lucy giggled quietly at her cousin and Jill. As much as they fussed and disagreed, the two balanced each other nicely. A slight noise caught Lucy's ear, urging her to stop. It was brief, a whispered whisper, its melodic sound echoing in Lucy's head until she was unsure if she had actually heard it or was simply remembering a dream. She stopped and turned, the sound prickling her ear again. She looked down and saw a tiny pink fleck of light come from the pool at her feet, ripples coming out from where the light had flashed.

Lucy stared curiously at it, cocking her head to the side. The light flashed again, this time brighter, and the noise she had heard sounding in her ear again. As she stared harder at the pool, her eyes began to focus on the pink light; there was something in the water that the light was reflecting off of, something that beckoned to Lucy from below. Her body felt weightless, held only in place by the reflective light, as her arm slowly reached for the object. Tirian turned and noticed Lucy standing several yards away from the group. He jogged to her, slowing as he saw the curious dazed look on her face.

"Queen Lucy?" he asked hesitantly. She did not reply but continued to reach to the water, her fingers nearly brushing its surface. "Madam, don't!" he cried as her fingers slid easily through the water. Lucy felt something grab her hand, pulling her into the water. She quickly came out of her daze and screamed as she went under the water. Tirian grabbed her arm and was pulled in with her, his body quickly submerged in the pool. A warm pink light began swirling around them, pulling them downward into the world the pool held.

Lucy and Tirian landed in the middle of a rushing shallow stream, its cold water flowing rapidly over them as they were sprawled on the slippery rocks. Lucy screamed, the cold water shocking her, and scrambled to stand, slipping on the rocks. Tirian stood more carefully and helped Lucy up.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he steadied her. Lucy narrowed her eyes at him.

"What have you done?" she cried, pulling her hands from his.

"What have I done? You're the one who fell into the pool!" Tirian yelled.

"I didn't fall! I was pulled in!" Lucy retorted angrily, turning quickly in the water and slipping again on the rocks. She felt Tirian's strong hands under her arms, hauling her back up.

"Could you stop falling please?" he asked frustrated as he pulled her out of the stream. Lucy jerked out of his arms when they had reached the bank of the stream.

"Where are we?" she asked, glancing around at the lush forest they had landed in. Odd trees grew around them, their branches spindly with deep green leaves.

"How would I know?" Tirian asked as he took in their surroundings. Lucy huffed and spun around, hoping to hide from Tirian the tears that had started to form in her eyes. Suddenly, an arrow shot in front of her, narrowly missing her. She gasped loudly as she saw the arrow protruding from a tree in front of her.

"Get down!" Tirian yelled as he pushed her to the ground, landing on top of her as second arrow whizzed past them.

"There they are!" they heard a loud, clear voice from behind them.

"Come on!" Tirian said urgently, pulling Lucy up as they began to run through the forest along the stream. Arrows flew past them, hisses of air passing their ears.

"Oh, no!" Lucy cried when they reached a cliff. The edge of it jutted out over what looked to be a crystal blue lake, the stream they had followed flowing over and into it.

"We have them now!" the voice behind them yelled again.

"Lucy, we have to jump," Tirian said with forced calmness, glancing over his shoulder.

"We can't jump! It's too far! We'll be killed!" she cried frantically.

"You have to trust me. They'll catch us if we don't!" Tirian said, grasping her shoulders and giving her a slight shake.

"I can't! I can't jump!" Lucy said, shaking her head. Tears rolled down her face in fear. Tirian sighed and nodded.

"Okay, okay you don't have to jump," he said, pulling her into his arms soothingly. Lucy wrapped her arms around him, thankful that they weren't going to jump, when his arms tightened around her and he lifted her from the ground. She felt him jump off the cliff, holding onto her tightly as they were suddenly flying through the air. The feeling of weightlessness overtook Lucy as they fell to the water below, the wind rushing around her as they sped down. A scream caught in her throat, quickly dissipating as they hit the water. It rushed around them, the iciness of it shocking them both. Lucy remembered her school swimming lessons and began to kick, her feet contacting with Tirian's legs as he kicked as well. When they broke the surface, Lucy gulped in the air as she struggled to tread the cold water.

"How could you do that?" she sputtered, wiping the water from her face.

"We had to. It was either that or…" he trailed off as he looked past Lucy, his face darkening. Lucy turned in the water and gasped. Staring from the edge of the lake were several men pointing arrows at them. Had she not been so frightened, she might have noticed how different the men look from her. She felt Tirian's arm slowly snake around her waist under the water as if he was preparing to pull her behind him. She felt it tighten as a figure moved into view from the shadows of the forest behind the archers.

A woman appeared, more beautiful than anything or anyone Lucy had ever seen. Her hair hung down over her shoulders, framing her perfect face in a veil of deep varying shades of brown that changed as she moved. The dress she wore was like water, flowing over her body and moving in perfect motion as she did, the deep blue-green of it shimmering like scales from the mermaids Lucy had known in Narnia. The most stunning feature was the woman's eyes; they looked like pools of water themselves, as if they could change as the ocean itself could. As she walked closer, Lucy's eyes widened in shock. The woman's skin, which had seemed pale at first, was instead milky pink, shimmering in the light. The woman was unlike anything Lucy had ever seen. When she neared the water's edge, she placed a hand on bow nearest her, lowering the arrow. The other archers lowered theirs as well. Turning back to Lucy and Tirian, she spoke, her voice melodic and singing to them, "Why, dear friends, do you run from me?"


	19. Chapter 19

"Please, help them out," the woman said to the archers. Two of the men immediately dropped their bows and hurried to the edge of the water. Lucy felt Tirian begin to pull her towards the bank, her feet finally finding ground as the water became shallower. The two men offered their help but Tirian shook them off.

"We have it," he said sternly. Lucy glanced at him quickly, surprised at how much like a king he sounded at that moment. Tirian kept his arm around Lucy's waist as they walked out of the water, ready to pull her away if necessary.

"King Tirian, you can let go of me now," she whispered to him, trying to pull her self away.

"Not a chance," he replied softly, tightening his grip on her. Lucy glared at him as she shivered from the cold water that had soaked her clothes. The air around them was pleasant but there was coolness in it that refused to let her warm up.

"Please, find them something warm," the woman gently commanded, two of the men hurrying back into the forest. Turning back to Tirian and Lucy, the woman peered at them, blinking her eyes several times. "Why did you run?" she asked, leaning her head to the side.

"Your men were shooting at us!" Tirian said brusquely. The woman smiled gently.

"I do apologize for that. They wouldn't have killed you, the arrows. Just sent you into a peaceful sleep," she explained.

"Who are you?" Lucy asked, peering at her. The woman laughed a tinkling noise that nearly made Lucy smile from the beauty of it.

"I do apologize for not introducing myself. I am Queen Tritonia," she answered.

"Queen of what?" Tirian asked.

"Of all that you see, of course. This is Thalasea, the land of the sea," she replied, sweeping her hand to indicate her world. Lucy and Tirian exchanged a worried glance, which was not lost on the queen. "You have not heard of Thalasea, I see," the queen smiled.

"I'm afraid we have not, your majesty. We are from another land," Tirian stated. Lucy felt him pulling her closer and saw his hand briefly move towards his sword at his waist. The queen saw his movement and frowned, her eyes shifting quickly from their sparkling blue pools to dark grey, like the color of the sea in the middle of the storm. Lucy caught the change and gasped lightly.

"We assure you that we mean no harm. I am Queen Lucy of Narnia and this is King Tirian of Narnia. We are merely here by mistake," she said hastily. Tirian's hand jerked at her side. Queen Tritonia's eyes calmed and returned to the calm blue they were before.

"I know you mean no harm and I do apologize again for my lack of manners. Unfortunately for me, and many others I'm afraid, my emotions are as temperamental as the sea, but I, too, mean you no harm. Tell me, where is this Narnia?" she asked.

Before they could answer, the men who had hurried away returned with two blankets. Queen Tritonia took them from the men and wrapped them around both Lucy and Tirian; the blankets awkwardly hung around their shoulders as Tirian refused to let Lucy out of his grip, despite her small struggles. The queen smiled slightly at them but remained silent over their tug-of-war.

After letting out a small sigh of defeat, Lucy turned her attention to the queen. "Narnia is, I suppose you could say, far away," she began, glancing uncertainly at Tirian.

"In another world, you mean?" the queen offered.

"How did you…?" Tirian trailed off as his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Perhaps we should go back to my castle before we discuss this, King Tirian. Your wife looks cold," she remarked.

"I'm not… ouch!" Lucy cried as Tirian pinched her side.

"You're right; my wife's lips are turning a rather nasty shade of blue," he replied, throwing Lucy a warning glance.

"Wonderful! Let's get you to a warm bath and cozy bed," the queen said happily, holding her hand forward to lead the way. The men followed her as Tirian and Lucy began to walk behind.

"Why did you do that?" Lucy hissed, rubbing her sore side.

"I'm sorry for hurting you, but it might be better if we pretend to be married. We may have a hard time explaining that we're both rulers of Narnia, unrelated and from completely different centuries," Tirian whispered back. Lucy sighed softly and nodded.

"I suppose you're right; what choice do we really have?" she agreed. Tirian caught a note of distress in her voice and glanced at her, surprised at the tears in her eyes.

"I promise you I will not do anything that is untoward or overstep our boundaries that we have if that is what worries you," he said softly. Lucy looked at him and saw the concerned look in his eyes.

"No, I'm not worried about that. I know you will be a perfect gentleman, as a king of Narnia should," she replied, trying not to let any of her tears fall.

"Then what's wrong?" he asked.

"My side still hurts where you pinched me," she replied. Tirian snickered slightly.

"Come along!" they heard Queen Tritonia sing as they hurried to catch up with the group.

Lucy looked in awe as they neared Thalasea's royal castle, its warm pink and gold spires reminding her of the most beautiful seashell. The group stopped on a hill overlooking the castle and its surrounding city. "This is my home," Queen Tritonia said happily.

"It's so lovely, as if it's right out of the sea," Lucy said breathlessly.

"Is your home this magnificent?" the queen asked curiously. Lucy nodded.

"Our home, castle Cair Paravel, is different from yours, but no less wonderful," she said, a pang of homesickness in her voice.

"You must miss it terribly," the queen said, placing her hand on Lucy's shoulder comfortingly. Lucy shivered from her still damp clothes. "Come, let's get you inside," Queen Tritonia said as she began walking down the hill.

When they had reached the gates of the castle, a loud trumpet sounded and the gates slowly opened as they walked through. Lucy and Tirian marveled at the interior of the castle, its polished walls shimmering in the cheerful light thousands of tiny candles gave off.

"It's breathtaking," Lucy said, smiling at the queen.

"Thank you. I suppose it is, but I've lived here so long that I forget what it is like to see this place for the first time," the queen replied.

"We both thank you for inviting us to your home," Tirian said politely.

"Think nothing of it. Now, let me show you to your room," she said, waving them up the set of stairs that swept into the room. She led them to a second floor and down a long twisting hallway; Lucy was sure they had spiraled around at least twice. Stopping in front of a pair of jewel colored doors with golden handles, the queen opened them widely and stepped into the room. "This will be your room while you are here," she said waving her hand in a flourish.

Lucy followed Tirian into the room, her mouth hanging open in surprise. Even on her best day she could not have designed a more beautiful place to sleep. The room was decorated in deep jewel colors that matched the doors, blues and greens and teals, making it look like the deepest ocean's depths.

"Please, make yourself at home. I will send someone to you with food and clean clothes as well as baths for you both. If you have any need while here, I offer you anything that is mine," Queen Tritonia said, giving them both a warm smile as she walked out of the room.

As the doors closed behind the queen, Lucy sat in a deep blue chair and sighed. "What a day," she said quietly. Tirian clasped his hands behind his back and surveyed their room.

"I don't trust this place," he said.

"Why not? Queen Tritonia has been very kind to us, you have to admit that," Lucy said, straightening as she spoke.

"Well, yes, of course I will admit that. She's been very hospitable, but did you somehow forget that we were fired at with arrows that would have put us to sleep?" Tirian asked sharply.

"Of course I didn't forget that!" Lucy exclaimed. She felt her cheeks blush slightly because she had actually forgotten the queen had fired upon them at first.

"There's just something about her that I can't seem to figure out. The way her eyes changed made me worry about our safety. I won't have her harm you," Tirian said as he grasped the golden bedpost forcefully.

"Harm me?" Lucy asked, confused by his words. Tirian grinned at her slightly.

"You do realize that if anything happened to you, your brothers would gladly tear me limb from limb, right?" he asked, chuckling slightly. Lucy frowned.

"Is that the only reason you don't want anything to happen to me?" she asked, her voice less patronizing that she had hoped it would be. Tirian's face softened as he shook his head.

"No, that is not the only reason I want you safe. I care a good deal about your safety for a great many reasons," he said.

"Oh," Lucy said softly, her face blushing even more. A sharp knock on the door caught their attention. They turned to see the door open and two men and a woman walk in; their skin, like the queen's, was shimmering milky pink.

"We hope we are not disturbing you, but her majesty has asked that we come to help you," the woman said warmly.

"No, you are not disturbing us. We appreciate your help," Tirian said, motioning them inside. The men turned to the hall and carried in a large, ornate gold and pearl tub. Lucy was surprised that they could carry it as easily as it looked to weigh hundreds of pounds. She watched them follow the woman to a door in the back of the room. The woman opened the door and ushered the men in. As they walked out, she turned to Tirian and Lucy and smiled.

"I believe a hot bath will do just the trick to warm you both. King Tirian, if you will follow those men, they will lead you to your own private dressing room behind that door," she explained, motioning to a second door.

"Are you going to be okay alone?" Tirian asked Lucy. She nodded quickly. With a last glance at the woman, Tirian turned to follow the men.

"Now, come, Queen Lucy. Let us get you cleaned up," the woman said, holding her hand out to Lucy.

Hours later Lucy felt better than she had since they had first arrived. The woman, whose name was Neroukatha, or Nerry as she explained her friends called her, had given her a warm pink drink which had tasted better than the very best hot chocolate Lucy had ever tasted. The drink had warmed her to the core and, along with her hot bath, made her feel relaxed and soothed completely. When the water had begun to turn cold, Nerry ushered her out of the tub and wrapped a soft white robe around her.

Lucy sat at a gold vanity, tiny shells and pearls of all colors set in its frame, as Nerry gently combed through her hair and told her of Thalasea. The story of its existence seemed like a fairy tale to Lucy. Nerry explained that Thaliotari, the creator of their world and its true king, had argued with his brother over the creation of their world. During their argument, a large pink shell which Thaliotari wore from his neck on a golden string broke into thousands of pieces, littering the earth below. The shell had been a gift from their father and, feeling poorly for what he had caused, Thaliotari's brother allowed him to decide what to do with the world. Thaliotari brought water from the sea that surrounded the land and poured it on the shell fragments, creating the Thalaseans. Lucy thought it was a very good story, reminding her of other creation stories she had heard, both Narnian and those of her other world.

After Nerry had finished combing Lucy's hair she helped her from the seat and brought her a dress made of flowing white material. Lucy slipped it on over her head, the coolness of the fabric sliding like water over her skin. The top was complicatedly designed, dozens of tiny pearls lining it with satin ribbons interwoven throughout the material. Her arms were bare, as were Nerry's and Queen Tritonia's, but Nerry wound silken ribbons strung with pearls around both her wrists.

"There, your majesty, you look perfect," Nerry pronounced when she had tied the last ribbon. Lucy glanced back in the vanity's mirror and smiled at her reflection. Although her clothing was much simpler than some of the finery she had worn in her times in Narnia, it was no less beautiful. "Now, I believe your husband is waiting for you," Nerry said.

"My husband?" Lucy asked, momentarily forgetting their ruse. Nerry's brow furrowed. "Oh, yes, King Tirian. Sorry, I must be more tired than I realize," Lucy said quickly, hoping to cover her mistake.

"Do you always call your husband King?" Nerry asked.

"Not when we're alone," Lucy said coyly. She wondered if her face had turned as red as it felt.

Nerry giggled and ushered Lucy from the room and into the bedroom. Tirian was standing in the room, tugging on the sleeves of a deep sea-green tunic when he glanced up. Lucy's felt her face flame as his jaw dropped slightly when he saw her. He quickly regained his composure and smiled.

"Queen Lucy, you look wonderful, lovelier than I have ever seen you," he said gallantly, stepping towards her and placing a small kiss on her cheek. Nerry giggled again and slipped to the door.

"Queen Tritonia has said for you to rest. Dinner will be served promptly at eight and she wishes for you to join her," she said, shooting them a quick smile before she stepped out of the room.

"Was that overdone?" Tirian asked once the door was closed.

"Um, no, not at all, I think. I really don't know. I don't know how to act like a married couple," she sputtered.

"Well, I would certainly hope so," he teased as he sat in the blue chair.

"Oh, stop it," Lucy said as she spun away from him. Tirian chuckled.

"I think maybe we do need to rest. You seem a little grumpy,' he continued to tease as he stood from the chair. Lucy spun back to him, her eyes wide with worry.

"Rest? But there's only one bed," she stated nervously.

"Relax, Queen Lucy. There is a rather comfortable looking sofa right over here that I will be perfectly happy sleeping on," he said, walking to the sofa, its deep blue color matching the chair. Lucy gave a quick glance between the sofa and bed before climbing onto the high bed. She sat nervously on it as she watched Tirian's teasing grin fade as he watched her.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," he replied, bending over to remove his boots. Lucy slowly kicked off her silk slippers and swung her legs around, stretching them on the bed.

"How is it?" Tirian asked as he stretched out on the sofa.

"How is what?" Lucy asked uncertainly.

"The bed," he replied.

"Oh! The bed. It's wonderful, very cozy," she replied over-brightly. "How is the sofa?"

"Passable. I've slept on worse," he said.

"We could switch, if you like," Lucy offered. She saw him sit up and shoot her an irritated look, his mouth pulled down in a frown.

"Madam, what type of man would I be if I let you sleep on the sofa while I slept in the bed? You insult me by thinking I would be such a man," he said. Lucy leaned back against the mound of pillows.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. She heard Tirian sigh.

"There's no reason to be. It's I who should be sorry for jumping to that conclusion. Let's just both get some sleep," he said as he lay back on the sofa. Several moments passed as the two lay silently.

"King Tirian?" Lucy asked timidly.

"Yes?" she heard him reply.

"What do you think the others are doing?" she asked.

"That I do not know. I hope they are continuing on to look for Charos as we were supposed to do," he replied. "

Do you think they might come after us?" Lucy asked worried.

"I certainly hope not," he said forcefully. Lucy sat up quickly, shocked at his response.

"Why not? They could help us!" she exclaimed heatedly.

"I have no doubt that they could and most definitely would, madam. But I would not put your family in any danger by wishing they would come here after us," he replied. Lucy leaned back, considering what he had said.

"I do not think we are in any danger here," she said quietly.

"I know you don't, which is why I am concerned for our safety. I find it admirable that you're so quick to trust others, but it's also dangerous. As kind as the people here have been to us, I still wonder why they fired upon us before. I know they did not mean to kill us, but why would they have wanted to put us to sleep? What is Queen Tritonia's true intention for us?" he said, his voice hardening as he spoke.

"I don't know," Lucy replied softly. She began to wonder if perhaps she was too trusting, that maybe she had accepted the Thalaseans' hospitality a little too easily. Silence filled the room as they were both quiet. From far away Lucy could hear the faint sounds of the waves crashing against the shore.

"What is it? What has you so silent?" Tirian asked gently, breaking the thick silence between them.

"You're right, I am too trusting. What if I've put us in danger by not being cautious as you are? We could be killed and it would be all my fault," Lucy whispered, tears forming in her eyes. Tirian was silent, standing from the sofa. He walked to the bed and sat on it, a concerned look on his face. "Don't look at me like that," Lucy whispered, struggling to fight the tears that had begun to prick her eyes. Tirian smiled gently.

"Queen Lucy, don't think for a second that anything is your fault. I admire your trusting nature, your generous spirit that you show to every person you meet. I found it intriguing the very day I met you and would not wish you to change it for anything. I will not allow anything to happen to you, okay?" he said, placing his hand over hers and giving it a gentle squeeze. Lucy looked up, her distraught face relaxing into a smile and squeezed his hand in return.

"Thank you, for being so nice to me when I haven't been as nice to you," she said.

"Yes, why is that?" Tirian asked, chuckling. Lucy thought and then laughed.

"I don't know," she replied, smiling at him. She suddenly stifled a yawn.

"That, madam, is a sure sign that you need to sleep," he said, stifling one of his own.

"As do you, King Tirian," she giggled. He nodded and stood, giving Lucy's hand a second small squeeze before slowly releasing it. When he had walked back to his sofa and lay down, he said, "Sleep well, Queen Lucy."

"Don't you think it's time we stopped calling each other 'Queen Lucy' and 'King Tirian'? I really would like it if you called me Lucy," she asked.

"Then Lucy it is, but only if you call me Tirian," he answered. Lucy smiled as she rolled over, snuggling into the fluffy bedding and asking softly, "Did you really think I looked lovely?" She was answered with a small groan and a laugh, followed by, "Go to sleep, Lucy."

**AN: So I'm really, REALLY loving coming up with this new world and people and such... I loved writing things that happened in Narnia and in England, but this has just been fun because there's really no rules or anything to worry about! I wanted to write a little more here, but am running out of time before I have to be at a meeting... duty calls, I suppose! Perhaps I'll update later, so watch this space... P.S. As requested, no cliffhangers... this time! P.P.S. Reviews make me write/update faster, so come on reviewers! Help me to help you! :-)  
**


	20. Chapter 20

Lucy and Tirian joined Queen Tritonia in an intimate dining room. A large ornately carved marble table sat in the center of the room, four similarly carved seats surrounding it. Like the rest of the castle, the walls of the room were polished, candlelight shining from them. Stained glass windows surrounded the dome-like ceiling, depicting different strange and beautiful scenes.

"Welcome, my new friends," Queen Tritonia said happily as she ushered Lucy and Tirian into the room. "I hope you were able to rest. I do apologize for not welcoming you sooner, but I had things that needed attending to."

"No, it was fine. We enjoyed the opportunity to rest after our long trip," Lucy said politely, offering a friendly smile to their hostess.

"Wonderful! Please be seated," Queen Tritonia said, motioning to the chairs. She took her seat at the head while Lucy and Tirian both sat on either side of her. Lucy glanced at the last seat, an empty place setting at it.

"Are we expecting a fourth, your majesty?" she inquired curiously. The queen's eyes seemed to glass over, a wave of blue shooting through them, as her smile slightly faded. Regaining her composure, she nodded.

"Perhaps if we are lucky," she answered warmly. Lucy and Tirian exchanged a nervous glance. "Not to worry, friends. Everything is just fine," the queen said, turning to a woman who had walked into the room. She waved the woman to her, nodding as she approached. "I believe we are ready," she said in a cheery voice. Lucy watched as the woman walked out of the room and quickly returned followed by several others carrying dishes of all shapes. Once the dishes were set on the table, their lids were lifted, filling the air with delicious scents wafting from the food.

"Come, eat! I know you must be hungry," Queen Tritonia said as she passed a bowl to Lucy. The three began to fill their plates, piling them high with the various foods.

"Queen Tritonia, would you tell us of your home?" Tirian asked as they began to eat. The queen took a sip from her cup and nodded.

"This castle was built by Thaliotari himself. It is said he took sand from his own home, deep under the sea, and sculpted the castle before blowing on it, turning the sand into stone. Of course, that is merely legend. I happen to know the castle was built by hand, by Thalaseans, not our king. We have always been a story-telling people, inventing tales to make our otherwise dull history seem more exciting. The land itself stretches for as far as you can see. We sail, of course, being people of the sea, but never find any other land that is not Thalasea. So we can only guess that there is no other land besides ours. Which makes it curious as to how you arrived in my kingdom," she explained, smiling at them.

"I'm afraid, Queen Tritonia, that our very presence contradicts your conclusion that there is no other land besides Thalasea," Tirian said.

"So it would seem. Unfortunately, there is something else that had contradicted my conclusion before you both arrived," the queen said, her smile fading.

"Has something happened to your country?" Lucy asked, glancing at Tirian. He caught her glance and nodded slightly before asking, "Queen Tritonia, have you, perchance, heard of a place called Choras?"

"Choras? Why, no, I have not, King Tirian. Why do you ask?" she inquired.

"We are searching for this place and somehow ended here," he explained.

"I see. That does make a difference," the queen said softly, taking another sip from her cup.

"Queen Tritonia, I mean no disrespect, but I can't help but wondering why you shot at us before we first met. You have been so wonderfully kind to us, so it confuses me why you would want to hurt us," Lucy said carefully.

"Dear friend, I do apologize for that. I never meant to hurt you and had one of the arrows struck you, it would have only felt like a tiny pinch before you fell asleep. We believe in keeping peace and not harming other creatures unless necessary, which is why we only shoot our enemies with arrows that put them to sleep, not kill," the queen explained.

"We are not your enemies though, Queen Tritonia," Tirian said firmly.

"Oh, of course not! I knew that from the second I was alerted that you were here, but one can never take any chances, can they? I knew we would be friends and that neither would want to harm the other, but I know how easily things can change in the wrong situation," she said quickly, placing her hands over both Lucy's and Tirian's.

"That may very well be true and I agree with you that others can turn on you sooner than you would ever expect, but Lucy, I mean, my wife and I are hesitant to put full trust in you for our safety," Tirian said.

"Tirian!" Lucy hissed, shooting him an angered look before glancing at the queen. Lucy's eyes widened as she saw the queen's anger grow, her eyes darkening to the deepest shade of blue. Even her hair seemed to darken from its deep wood brown to the darkest shade of brown.

"Madeli!" a small, sing-song voice called from the back of the dining room. Lucy and Tirian turned towards the sound and saw a small girl, no older than six or seven, happily skipping down the curved staircase that lined the back wall. Lucy glanced back at the queen, whose anger seemed to dissipate at the appearance of the girl.

"Olyria," she said softly, holding her arms open to the girl. The girl giggled and hurried to the queen, throwing herself into her arms. "My savior in the tempest," Queen Tritonia said as the girl smoothed back her hair, which returned to its normal color. The queen pulled her away and turned her towards Lucy and Tirian. "Queen Lucy, King Tirian, this is Olyria," she said, introducing the girl.

"A pleasure," Olyria said sweetly. Her voice, like the queen's, had a musical quality to it that instantly lifted all worries Lucy had. She was dressed similar to Queen Tritonia, her dress flowing about her small body like water; it billowed out near the bottom like waves crashing and foaming at the shore. Her eyes were clear green, sea-like as they danced happily, while her long hair was pale, nearly white, a sharp contrast to Queen Tritonia's darker tresses.

"Why don't you sit with us? Help to keep Madeli calm," the queen said as she gently pushed the child from her. Olyria skipped to the fourth seat and sat, smiling happily at the others.

"What did I interrupt, Madeli?" Olyria asked as she reached for the basket of rolls near her.

"I was just about to tell our friends of the prophecy when my temper got the better of me," Queen Tritonia said, a touch of sadness in her voice. "I do apologize for it."

"Please, think nothing of it. What prophecy?" Lucy asked.

"It is most intriguing," Olyria said excitedly.

"Yes, it is, but also most saddening because it has half come true. It is written:_ Two will be born of the sea __from him Thaliotari. __Tempests shall they both endure, though their hearts are neither pure. __In the end they both will fail,__ one will fight, the other prevail,_" Queen Tritonia recited.

"That's only the first part of it. Tell them the best part!" Olyria urged. Queen Tritonia smiled at the child and continued, "_One will seek his fortune found, not above the earth or below the ground. One will not claim it in sea nor air, but in a place one dares not fare. That journey seeks the wrath of old, of heroes from strange lands untold. Heroes will win most sure and fair, and restore the land with untold care."_

"Our heroes have come!" Olyria exclaimed, bouncing slightly in her seat.

"Wait, you think we are the heroes? I don't think that we're who you're searching for," Lucy said, alarmed.

"You doubt the prophecy?" Queen Tritonia demanded, standing quickly as her eyes flashed angrily at Lucy. Tirian stood as well, his hand moving to his sword.

"Tritonia!" Olyria called sharply, her voice no longer child-like and melodic, but deeper and harsh. Lucy glanced quickly at the child, who had not moved, gasping when she saw her face. Although still that of a child and beautiful, it seemed older somehow, as if it contained the wisdom and experiences gained over several thousand years.

"I'm fine," the queen said, her eyes returning to normal as she sat. Smiling at Lucy, she said, "You see why Olyria came to join us. She truly is calming for me." Tirian continued to stand, glancing between the queen and child.

"I think you need to tell us exactly what is going on here," he said firmly.

"Of course, King Tirian. Please sit. Madeli, please explain to them," Olyria pleaded, her voice returning to normal. Tirian slowly sat, his eyes locked on Lucy's.

"It's okay, Tirian," Lucy whispered, wishing she could move closer to him. She was trying to be brave, valiant, but something about the situation made her nervous and he had a sword.

"What is it that she keeps calling you, Queen Tritonia?" he asked.

"Madeli. It means _mother-sister_ in our language. She calls me that though I am neither," she replied.

"Or you are both," Olyria giggled, as if nothing had happened mere seconds before.

"Olyria came to me seven years ago, a baby then, in the middle of the night. She is a daughter of the sea, a gift from it, no doubt. I immediately found her presence soothing, calming my temperament nearly immediately. She was my, and many others', savior. That is where her name comes from. Olyria in our language means _calming savior_," Queen Tritonia began.

"Olyria Fourtouna. _The savior in the tempest_," Olyria added, smiling widely.

"Yes, dear one, that is what you are," Queen Tritonia laughed.

"You said that Madeli means _mother-sister._ I understand the mother part, but what of the sister?" Lucy asked.

"She calls me Madeli because while I have been mother to her these seven years, I, too, am a daughter of the sea," Queen Tritonia said softly, her voice strained with sadness. Olyria's smile faded.

"I think we should take them to Father," she said, standing from her seat.

* * *

Lucy pulled the sea-green cloak Queen Tritonia had given her closer around her as she followed Tirian, the queen and Olyria to the rocky shore of the sea. The cool night air blew around her, sending shivers through her body. Tirian turned to help her climb over a rock and saw the worried look in her eyes.

"Don't be afraid. I won't let anything happen," he said softly, clasping her hand firmly in his.

"I'm not afraid, Tirian. I'm concerned about all of this," she said quickly, darting her eyes towards the queen and child. Queen Tritonia stopped at the edge of the shore, the waves lapping against her bare feet.

"King Tirian, if you please," she called, not turning from the water. Tirian gave Lucy's hand a quick squeeze and let her go, walking to stand at the water's edge next to the queen. Lucy felt a small hand slip into hers. She glanced down and saw Olyria standing next to her, her pale hair glowing in the moonlight.

"This is the best part. The water listens to her when we want to speak to Father," the child said softly.

"How does the water listen?" Lucy asked.

"Rather well, actually," Olyria answered, giggling slightly over her own joke. Lucy felt the girl's hand tighten around her own, continuing to speak but in the deeper voice she had spoken in earlier. "There is more to the prophecy that Tritonia did not tell you. It has to do with me. She does not like to speak of it, willing it out of her mind, but I remember it well," Olyria said softly.

"What does it say about you?" Lucy asked.

"She who is child of none but daughter to all will be the heroes weapon and stop the final tempest from destruction," Olyria said. She glanced up at Lucy and gave her a wry smile, the moonlight making her face shine. "It doesn't have a silly rhyme like the other prophecy I'm afraid," she added.

"What tempest-" Lucy began but was cut off by Queen Tritonia's call.

"Come, the path is ready," she called to them.

"Let's go!" Olyria said eagerly, her voice returning to the childlike one, as she pulled Lucy towards the water's edge. Tirian quickly walked to Lucy and wrapped his arms around her in an embrace, leaning down to her ear.

"She says we are to go alone. Take this in case," he whispered. Lucy felt his hands slide under her cloak as he wrapped a belt around her waist. Something heavy hung from it and bumped her leg as he tightened the belt. She reached down and felt a dagger.

"You'll be fine," he whispered as he pulled back. Lucy and he turned back to the queen and Olyria who were waiting patiently by the water.

"Are we ready?" Queen Tritonia asked. Not waiting for an answer, she looked at the water and held her hand up, whispering to it in a strange language. As she spoke, the sea began to move aside, creating a path down the center of it. The water curled in on itself, drawing back as she stepped closer. It seemed to obey her as she continued to speak her sing song language. Olyria followed closely, running her fingers through the water as if she was playing with it.

"Follow us," Queen Tritonia called behind, her eyes never leaving the water. Lucy slipped her hand into Tirian's as they walked down the path; it began to decline, the water's walls growing higher as they ventured deeper into the sea. They had walked what seemed nearly a mile when Queen Tritonia stopped and turned, her hand moving in a gesturing motion towards the water. Lucy screamed as she saw the water begin to close in on them, fearing it would drown them immediately. Tirian grabbed her quickly, pulling her close to him.

"Please, do not be afraid. I am only closing the entrance so none will follow," Queen Tritonia said quickly. Lucy looked up from where her head was pressed to Tirian's chest. The water formed an arch over their heads creating a tunnel of sorts that led further into the sea.

"Our father's home is sacred and can only be visited by his children and their invited guests. All others will perish if they try to reach his home and we do not want that," Olyria explained.

"Are you okay?" Tirian asked Lucy as she pulled away from him. Taking a shaky breath she nodded and continued to follow the queen and child. Sitting a short distance from them was a cavern, its entrance carved into the rock.

"This is where you must wait. We will go in and greet our father, but you must wait for his invitation. Once he has given it, you will be welcome," Queen Tritonia explained. She took Olryia's hand and both turned to walk through the cavern's entrance.

"Do you think Father remembered my birthday? I hope he has a present for me!" Lucy heard Olyria say, her melodic voice echoing from the deep cavern. Tirian sighed deeply and sat on a low rock.

"What is it?" Lucy asked.

"Do you have to ask? Does none of this seem strange to you?" he asked irritably. Lucy sat next to him and placed her hand over his.

"Of course this all seems strange to me. This is the most insane thing I have ever done! Imagine, being at the bottom of the sea! Who knew such incredible worlds and magics such has these ever existed?" she exclaimed. Tirian stared incredulously at Lucy.

"What?" Lucy asked, uncomfortable from his stare.

"I can't decide if you are the bravest, most fearless woman I've ever met or the most foolish and naive person who's ever lived," he answered, shaking his head as he grinned.

"Well, I was crowned Queen Lucy the Valiant, so I would say bravest and most fearless," she laughed. Tirian joined in, their laughter echoing off the cavern's front.

"What was Queen Tritonia saying to you before we came here?" Lucy asked when their laughter had died.

"She was telling me how we must enter alone," Tirian answered, a catch in his voice. Lucy peered at him. She felt as though he was keeping something from her.

"What aren't you telling me, Tirian?" she asked. Tirian stared at her, looking as though he was battling the decision to tell her everything. With a sigh, he said, "She commented on our marriage. She said we shared one of the strongest bonds of love and friendship she had seen in a long time, but our bond would soon be tested and broken unless..." He trailed off, his face growing serious as he stared harder at her.

"Unless what?" Lucy whispered. Tirian took a deep breath and lifted his hand to Lucy's face, running it over her cheek where he let it rest.

"Unless we stop lying to each other," he whispered back as he leaned closer to her.

"But we're not..." Lucy started, stopping as Tirian's lips neared hers.

"Yes, we are," he answered, brushing his lips against her mouth.

"King Tirian!" they heard Olyria call, her small voice echoing through the cavern. Tirian sighed deeply as he rested his head briefly against Lucy's.

"I have to go," he whispered, pulling away from her and standing. Olyria appeared in the cavern's entrance, a wide smile on her face.

"Father says you can come in! He's in a happy mood, too," she said, gesturing to Tirian to follow her. With a final glance and a smile, Tirian followed the small girl into the cavern, disappearing into the darkness.

* * *

Lucy paced in front of the cavern opening, periodically glancing in its dark entrance in hopes that Tirian would walk from it. Time seemed to pass slowly as she waited, her worry growing as each moment passed. She had just decided her patience had expired when she heard a tinkling laugh echo through the cavern. Olyria skipped towards her from the darkness; her hair, which had glowed earlier in the moonlight, now shone an eerie green from the water that surrounded them.

"Father wants to see you now," she said cheerfully, taking Lucy's hand in hers.

"Where's Tirian?" Lucy demanded, more forcefully than she had meant to. Olyria's eyes narrowed infinitesimally before softening and dancing once again.

"King Tirian is with Tritonia. He is safe, do not worry. Father was kind to him," she answered, pulling Lucy through the dark cavern. The darkness faded quickly as they walked into a large chamber, glowing lightly from illuminated crystals that lined the walls, colors of blue and green and yellow swirling through the room. At the far end of it were three doors, each elaborately carved from colored stone and lined with various shells, stones and pearls.

"Father's room is to the right. Tritonia is in the room to the left with King Tirian. They are feasting with the others," Olyria explained, pointing to the doors as she spoke.

"The others?" Lucy asked. Olyria nodded.

"The others who live here. You did not think Father lived alone, did you?" she laughed lightly.

"What is in the center room?" Lucy inquired, peering curiously at the middle door. Olyria's smile faded quickly, her child like voice disappearing as she spoke, "I do not know. We do not go in that room." Turning back to Lucy, she smiled quickly and pushed her towards the far right door.

"Father is waiting. He will call me when you are finished," she said. Lucy walked to the door and knocked lightly. A deep voice from behind the door called, "Enter!"

Summoning her courage, Lucy pushed open the door and walked in. Behind her the door shut quickly as if a force had pulled it closed. The room looked like Queen Tritonia's castle, polished walls gleaming, shades of blues and greens hanging throughout it. The ceiling was made of glass, the sea above it casting a clear green light through the room.

"Lucy! Welcome," a deep voice said. Lucy spun towards it and saw a man sitting on a golden throne at the front of the room. His features were similar to Queen Tritonia's with his dark brown hair and clear blue eyes. His beard was short but his hair grazed his shoulders. On his head he wore a crown that appeared to be made of coral, polished until it was smooth as glass. Lucy smiled at him.

"You know who I am, sir?" she asked. The man chuckled and nodded before reciting: "Lucy Pevensie of England, also known as Queen Lucy the Valiant, Queen Lucy of Narnia, youngest sister to High King Peter, Queen Susan and King Edmund, and, most recently, pretend wife to King Tirian."

"Pretend...?" Lucy trailed off, all color fading from her face. The man laughed.

"My dear, no one is fooled, least of all me," he said.

"Is it that obvious we aren't married?" Lucy asked, her lost color returning quickly as she blushed.

"Obvious you aren't married? Yes. Obvious you aren't in love? No," he replied cryptically.

"In love? I'm not..." Lucy trailed off again, confused by the man's accusations.

"Oh, aren't you? My apologies if I am wrong," he said, winking at her.

"Sir, you spoke of Narnia. Do you know it?" Lucy asked quickly.

"Know of it? My dear girl, of course I know of it! My own brother created it!" he chuckled.

"Your brother... is... Aslan?" Lucy asked slowly. The man frowned and nodded.

"Of course, hasn't any one told you who I am?" he asked, his brow furrowing as Lucy shook her head before continuing, "I am Thaliotari. Creator of all that you see."

**AN: Yes... another cliffhanger... I debated doing this, however, but didn't want to overload everyone with lots of information in one chapter. Luckily for you all, I'm working on the next chapter so it shouldn't be too long before it's up! **

**I've been having a few thoughts as I've been writing this part of the story. I'm starting to wonder if maybe I should have split this into two stories because this part is waaaay different from the first part. In fact, I don't even remember what all happened in the first part of the story! Of course, it's too late for that now, but I just hope you all aren't thinking everything is going way too weird. I, personally, am liking it! **

**And speaking of which... the other day one of my favorite stories that I've been following on here had an update (which is rare for this particular story so, needless to say, I was super excited) and the author had a note on there that actually really inspired me. She wrote about how others may want to see certain things and how she wrestled with whether she should include those things in that particular chapter... but then ultimately decided that she needed to write what worked for her and that by adding those things it probably would have ruined her story for her. And I just thought "Wow! That's how I've felt this entire time!" Because it's true... I've had tons of problems with this story, thought about giving up on it several times, or just plain, flat out disliked it and the way it was going. Mainly because I've felt like that maybe I've been trying to write what others want to read rather than what I want to read. I didn't really feel that way with my other two... I guess my conclusion is this: I'm finally starting to feel happy about this story and the characters and relationships and am inspired once again! **

**Finally, I know I've introduced lots of different names... If you'll remember back a while ago when I explained Laira's name and how I came up with hers and her parents (King Sol and Claire... I got the three names from the French words for sun, air, and moonlight), I used the same theory with these characters and places, only using Greek rather than French. And let me tell you... it has been HARD! I now feel like I could have a proper conversation with a Greek fisherman about the ocean.. haha! Anyway... hope you all are enjoying my creativity as much as I am! **


	21. Chapter 21

**Little bit of random info: In here I mention naiads, which are mentioned in the Narnia books. Naiads are the nymphs who preside over fresh water (streams, ponds, etc) whereas Nereids are those that come from the sea... Yes, this doesn't fit as Lucy and Tirian are under the sea, but I don't know if Nereids live in Narnia and it would mess up a scene in this chapter if they didn't, so I'm just ignoring the fact that I have my nymphs mixed up in here. Just in case anyone was scratching their head and thinking "Whoa, she messed up!" :) **

"You're... Thaliotari?" Lucy breathed in shock. The man smiled and nodded.

"You must have questions. Please, have a seat," he said, waving his hand. A golden chair appeared next to Lucy. She hesitantly sat, unsure of what she wanted to ask first. "Aslan has told me great things about you Lucy. I do not doubt that you are one of his favorites," Thaliotari began.

"Really? Aslan spoke of me?" she asked. Thaliotari nodded. "Sir, how are you brothers? Aslan is a Lion. Why are you not a Lion as well?" He chuckled.

"My brother is many things in many worlds. In Narnia, and in his own country, he is a Lion. I think he enjoys that shape the most, just as I enjoy this shape the most. Have you ever noticed how sometimes he is not in Narnia while other times he is there? Aslan has many other worlds to look after, which is why he is only in Narnia at certain times," Thaliotari explained.

"So Aslan isn't always a Lion?" Lucy asked.

"He is not. In Narnia he is a Lion, but in others he is a myriad of other forms. I, too, am known in other forms in my other worlds. In some I am this form, in others I am a horse, an eagle, a fluffy bunny..." Thaliotari made a low growl as he sighed.

"I really don't like that world," he added. Lucy giggled. "It was my first creation. I suppose we all make mistakes in our youth," Thaliotari chuckled.

"You're so different from Aslan, not at all what I would suspect the creator of a world to be like," Lucy commented.

"When I'm here I feel lighter, less serious than I normally must be. The sea relaxes me," he said, smiling warmly.

"It's very lovely here," Lucy agreed.

"I'm glad you like it. Now," he said, slapping his hands on his knees. "You have questions for me. Ask away."

"Oh! Yes, I suppose I do. Are Queen Tritonia and Olyria really your daughters?" Lucy asked.

"That... is a very difficult question to answer. I should start with how Thalasea came to exist before I explain my daughters' existence. I understand you have been told the legend of how this world was created. I should tell you that it is, of course, a myth. I most certainly did not break a large sea shell into tiny pieces which became the Thalaseans. They were created as many are created; their skin only happens to be the color it is because that is the color of their race. No special reason for it. I loved the Thalaseans very much, but I could not stay here permanently. Like Aslan, I had to attend to my other worlds to ensure they knew of me. I decided to create a child, one who would be able to rule in my stead. This is where the prophecy Tritonia spoke of begins. _Two will be born of the sea._ You see, Lucy, I am the sea," Thaliotari explained.

"So, Queen Tritonia and Olyria are the two from the prophecy?" Lucy asked curiously.

"No, Olyria is not. Tritonia was the first child of the sea, but she was given a brother. A twin, so to speak. Erivin. They were very much alike, beautiful, charming, a parent's pleasure. But,_ tempests shall they both endure, though their hearts are neither pure._ Both, like the sea, were temperamental. They had great beauty, yes, but also could cause great destruction when tempered. The prophecy mentions that their hearts are not pure; this does not mean that they are initially evil, just capable of being dangers.

"Tritonia tries, harder than she should, to stay good. She slips up, of course, as I'm sure you have seen. Erivin... he showed less care to controlling his emotions. For hundreds of years the two ruled, side by side; successfully, I might add. But they both fought, viciously at times, invoking the wrath of the sea which the Thalaseans endured. I returned at those times, helping to calm them.

"Erivin was becoming more power hungry and Tritonia was trying harder to suppress her emotions. You would think that he would have been the bigger problem, but it was, in fact, Tritonia who was my biggest challenge. You see, when a child of the sea suppresses their emotions, those emotions build within them, erupting forcefully like a tempest. I worried for her and for this world, fearful of what she might do should something tempt her anger.

"Erivin, fool that he was, began practicing magic stronger than anyone had ever seen. He created an entrance to another world and recruited several Thalaseans to follow him. He hoped to rule that world, enslave its people and finally overthrow his sister. Tritonia found out and let forth her anger on him, nearly destroying them both. I was away at the time, unable to stop her. The destruction she caused was more than I could bear, but I loved her. So I sent her Olyria that night. You see, I created Olyria from my own being. Tritonia and Erivin, they were both created from the sea but Olyria was made from the very essence from which I am made. I calm the sea, therefore, Olyria calms Tritonia," Thaliotari said.

"Sir, where did Erivin go?" Lucy asked.

"Can you not guess? The remainder of the prophecy has to do with you," Thaliotari said softly.

"_One will seek his fortune found, not above the earth or below the ground. One will not claim it in sea nor air, but in a place one dares not fare,_" Lucy whispered. "He's gone to Choras." Thaliotari nodded.

"_That journey seeks the wrath of old, of heroes from strange lands untold. Heroes will win most sure and fair, and restore the land with untold care._ We are the heroes. The wrath of old is Aslan. How are we to stop him? What are we to do?" Lucy asked frantically.

"Calm yourself, dear one. You will understand in time. Now, however, is not that time," he replied.

"I see," Lucy said softly, looking at her lap.

"Not to worry, dear heart. There are more important issues I must speak to you of. Olyria told you of the part of the prophecy that has to do with her. She will be the one to stop Erivin. She will be your answer. I urge you and Tirian to become close to her. In the end, you will both be responsible for her," he said warningly.

"In the end?" Lucy asked worriedly.

"Do not fear. Not all ends are sorrowful, although the path to the end may seem filled with distress," he said calmly as he stood from his throne. "Come now; let us join the others for the feast. I feel like a celebration, do you not?" Lucy smiled hesitantly and nodded, standing from her seat as well. Thaliotari offered his arm to her, which she accepted, as they walked from the room. He led her to the main chamber where the three doors had stood.

"I ask one thing of you, Lucy. I have told Tirian some things that may have upset him. I spoke the truth, but sometimes that is hard to hear. You are not his wife, we both know that, but I do know of your feelings for him whether you accept them or not. Treat him well and help him through his grief, should he feel any," Thaliotari said softly before he pushed open the far left door.

Lucy's eyes widened as she took in the elaborate room. It was the biggest room she had ever seen, grander than even the Great Hall at Cair Paravel. The walls gleamed with gold, large banners of green and blue hanging from them. The floor, Lucy saw, shimmered as if made from the inside of an oyster. A large table sat near the far end of the room, lined with food and drink of all sorts. Women swirled through the room dancing to eerie but beautiful music. Lucy's breath nearly left her body when she saw them, their beauty overwhelming her.

"I believe you call them naiads in your world," Thaliotari said softly.

"They're lovelier than any naiad I've ever seen," Lucy replied.

"They live here, under the sea, and keep my palace for me when I am away. They do love to celebrate though," he chuckled.

"Father!" a small voice cried over the music. Lucy saw Olyria running towards them, her pale hair flowing behind her. She threw herself into his arms, wrapping hers around his neck. "What did you think of Queen Lucy? Is she going to take me? Will you dance with us tonight?" she said quickly. Thaliotari chuckled and set the small girl on the floor.

"One question at a time, little one. I think Queen Lucy to be quite the queen. I have not decided if she shall take you. And I believe I will dance tonight, since it is your birthday," he said, grinning at the girl. Lucy scanned the room. She spotted Queen Tritonia dancing with a group of the naiads, her graceful moves reminding Lucy of the Narnian dances she used to dance, although not quite as well as the queen. The one person who seemed to be missing from the room was Tirian.

"King Tirian is out on the balcony," Olyria said as if reading Lucy's thoughts.

"The balcony? But we are under water," Lucy stated.

"He's through there," Olyria laughed, pointing to a curtained opening in the far wall. Lucy gave the child a brief smile and thanked her as she walked towards the opening. Lucy pushed aside the heavy fabric as she walked through onto a balcony. A large glass bubble surrounded it making it possible to be outside the underwater castle. Tirian stood next to the glass, a hand pressed against it as he watched the sea life outside.

"Tirian," Lucy said softly. He did not move from where he stood, only sighed slightly when he heard her voice.

"You are finished meeting with Thaliotari, I see," he said.

"I am. I came to find you," Lucy said. She felt her chest tighten in worry as she looked at Tirian. _What did Thaliotari say to him to upset him like this_? she wondered. Tirian's hand curled into a fist against the glass but he remained silent. "What is it? Won't you tell me?" Lucy urged softly.

"My father was right about me. I did waste my time by not marrying. Now I am dead and have ruined all my chances," he said in a hard voice.

"What do you mean?" she asked, moving to stand next to him. Tirian turned from the glass and leaned against the railing. He picked up Lucy's hand and began toying with her fingers. "Tirian?' she asked hesitantly, unsure of what what happening.

"When Queen Tritonia spoke to me before we came down here, I knew that she was right, that we do have this bond. Since I met you, I have felt incredibly drawn to you, to your goodness and kindness. Before I went to see Thaliotari I wanted to tell you how I felt. I wanted to stop lying to you. After speaking with him, I now see that our bond is being tested by the truth he spoke to me," Tirian said.

"Tirian, I don't understand," Lucy said slowly, pulling her hand away. Tirian sighed deeply and turned back to the glass.

"Maybe it's best you don't," he said flatly. Lucy stared at him, tears starting to prick at her eyes.

"King Tirian? Queen Lucy?" Queen Tritonia called, poking her head through the curtains. "It's time for us to go back," she said, smiling widely.

**AN: Okay... sorry this chapter is short. I've been wrestling with it for the past couple days and just can't seem to add anything else to it... I figured maybe that was a sign that I needed to end it and just start a new one rather than staring at it hopelessly. **


	22. Chapter 22

Two days had passed since Tirian and Lucy had arrived in Thalasea. Lucy was becoming increasingly worried about Tirian; he had barely spoken to her since the night they had visited Thaliotari. He refused to tell her what he had been told which had upset Lucy. She had taken Thaliotari's advice and tried to help him, but Tirian had simply brushed her worries aside frustrating her.

Lucy awoke early on the third morning before the sun had risen. Glancing at Tirian, who was still asleep on the sofa, she quietly climbed out of the bed and grabbed her cloak. She padded softly across the floor to the bedroom door and slipped out, careful not to wake Tirian.

Lucy found herself walking by the sea shore, the cool water lapping against her bare feet as she stepped in and out of the surf. In the distance she saw a figure sitting in the dim morning light. As she walked closer she saw that it was Queen Tritonia. She was perched upon a small rock, her knees drawn up to her chest and her hair whipping gently in the wind that blew from the sea. Seated like she was, Queen Tritonia looked years younger than she normally did, as if she was Lucy's age, maybe younger.

"Queen Tritonia?" Lucy called hesitantly. The queen turned towards Lucy.

"Queen Lucy, hello," she replied. Lucy noted a touch of sadness in her voice. "What brings you out here so early?" the queen asked, not moving from where she sat.

"I woke and needed to clear my head," Lucy replied.

"This seems to be an ideal spot to do so. I find myself out here quite often when my head seems to be too full of worries," Queen Tritonia said, giving Lucy a small smile.

"Is there something worrying you?" Lucy asked as she leaned against the rock. Queen Tritonia sighed.

"I worry for my people, for the future of Thalasea. I suppose the normal worries of a queen," she replied.

"Thaliotari explained about your brother," Lucy said softly.

"Ah, yes, my brother. Thalasea's most recent threat. I wish I knew what to expect from him, but I do not even know where he is," Queen Tritonia replied, giving Lucy a tight smile.

"Queen Tritonia, I'm afraid I have not been completely honest with you," Lucy began hesitantly.

"Oh? What do you mean?" the queen asked.

"King Tirian and I did arrive here by accident... On our way to another world. It's called Choras. We were sent to a place that connects all worlds together called the Wood between the Worlds to find it. Choras is being threatened by others from another world. They created a chasm, an entrance of sorts, into Choras and entered," Lucy explained.

"I do not understand, Queen Lucy. What does all this have to do with my brother?" Queen Tritonia asked, confused by Lucy's story.

"Your brother is the person who created this chasm. He is the one who is threatening Choras. Thaliotari explained everything to me and told me of Erivin's plans. Tirian and I are meant to help stop him," Lucy said quietly, looking out to the sea. The sky had lightened, dim sunlight brightening the dark sea. Silence passed between the two women. Lucy became nervous, worried Queen Tritonia's anger might be growing, as she glanced at the queen. Her face was stony as she glared at Lucy, her eyes widening and becoming hard.

"How could he not tell me this? How could he tell you and not me?" she said, her voice low with anger.

"I don't know. I don't know why he explained..." Lucy said, trailing off as Queen Tritonia slunk off the rock and walked to the water.

"He knew all this and refused to tell me. He'll have you take away my Olyria to be destroyed and still he keeps this from me!" she cried, kicking the water angrily.

"Wait, what? Take Olyria? No, I would never do that!" Lucy said quickly, straightening in surprise. Queen Tritonia spun towards Lucy, tears on her face.

"You came out here to clear your head. What has you worried, Queen Lucy?" she asked, struggling to control her voice. Lucy's mouth hung open slightly as she tried to remember why she had come to walk. _Tirian_, she thought. "Is it King Tirian?" Queen Tritonia asked knowingly.

"Yes," Lucy replied, her voice no louder than a whisper.

"He is not your husband," the queen stated.

"No," Lucy answered, leaning back against the rock, wrapping her arms around her waist.

"And yet, he loves you as you love him?" Queen Tritonia asked as she wiped her tears away. Lucy's head shot up.

"I don't... He can't... We're..." she stuttered, unsure of how to respond.

"Perfect for each other? Queen Lucy, anyone can see this," Queen Tritonia said lightly.

"I don't think that's it," Lucy muttered.

"I do apologize if I am wrong, but please tell me what has you so worried?" she asked.

"Well, it is Tirian, I suppose. Something's wrong between us. Thaliotari told him something that upset him and he won't tell me," Lucy replied.

"And that upsets you." Queen Tritonia pointed out. Lucy nodded.

"I just wish I knew why he was upset. I think it has to do with me," she said. Queen Tritonia smiled softly.

"Of course it does. Why do you think he is so upset?" she asked, placing her hand on Lucy's arm in a comforting gesture.

"Lucy!" a voice called.

"There he is now," Queen Tritonia said, giving Lucy's arm a gently squeeze.

"What do I say to him?" Lucy asked, glancing down the beach. She saw Tirian stepping down the rocky shore that led to them.

"Say what is in your heart and let love solve the rest. I'll leave you to it," Queen Tritonia replied. She gave Lucy a quick hug and turned to the water, parting it as she did the night before and stepping down the path it created. "I must have a word with my father. I'll return soon!" she called over her shoulder before the water closed behind her.

"Lucy!" Tirian called again. She turned towards him and saw he was closer.

"Hi," she said softly as he approached.

"I awoke and you were gone. Why didn't you tell me you were leaving?" he asked sharply.

"You were asleep. I didn't want to wake you and I needed to take a walk," she replied quietly. Tirian sighed deeply as he glared at her.

"Please don't leave like that again. I was worried," he said, leaning against the rock next to Lucy.

"Don't tell me what to do. I will do as I like," she said, feeling anger grow towards Tirian. He turned to her, surprise on her face.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked.

"You have no right to tell me what I can and cannot do. I have never given you a reason not to trust my judgment for what's best for me even though it's clear you don't trust me with anything. I can take care of myself and hardly need you to make decisions for me and tell me what to do!" Lucy cried. She felt nearly hysterical, irrational anger growing inside her.

"Lucy, that is not what I meant and you know it," Tirian said, grabbing her shoulders.

"It is so what you meant! I can come for a walk if I like! Maybe if you told me what was wrong with you I wouldn't need to walk in the first place!" she said, pulling herself out of his arms.

"Nothing is wrong with me. What are you talking about?" he said, his voice rising.

"You see! You don't trust me!" Lucy cried again, pushing past him and running down the beach.

"Lucy, stop!" Tirian called after her. Lucy felt his hand grab her, pulling her to a stop. He placed his arms on her shoulders, an incredulous look on his face as she stared at him.

"Let me go!" she exclaimed, struggling to pull herself out of his grasp. She felt his grip tighten.

"What is wrong with you? You're acting ridiculous!" he said. Lucy was silent. "What is it, Lucy?" he asked again, softer this time.

"Please let me go," she said softly, glancing down. Tirian dropped his hands, his brow furrowing.

"You're supposed to love me," Lucy whispered, unable to meet his eyes.

"What?" Tirian breathed incredulously.

"They told me you loved me and that I loved you and that everyone can see it," she explained, blinking back the tears that began to form in her eyes.

"We're pretending to be married. Of course they think we love each other," Tirian said. Lucy noted the nervousness in his voice. She looked at him, meeting his gaze.

"They know we aren't married," she said.

"Lucy..." Tirian began, closing his eyes as he trailed off. Lucy placed her hand on his arm. Tirian sighed and opened his eyes. "Lucy, you can't love me," he said softly, taking her hand off his arms. Lucy stepped back from him. She felt herself shaking, unsure of the emotions quickly filling her. "Lucy, you have to understand," Tirian said, reaching for her. Lucy shook her head slightly, dodging his hand.

"I think I do. Please..." she trailed off, choking back a sob a she turned and ran.

* * *

Lucy woke in her bed, hours later after she had ran back to her room. Her face felt tight from dried tears. Sitting, she rubbed her eyes. A small movement caught her attention and she turned, gasping in surprise when she saw Olyria sitting on the sofa where Tirian had slept.

"Oh, good, you're awake," she said, hopping off the sofa.

"What are you doing in here?" Lucy asked. Olyria climbed on the bed and sat next to Lucy.

"I came to make sure you were okay. King Tirian was upset and said you had a fight," Olyria replied.

"He's upset?" Lucy asked. Olyria nodded eagerly.

"Oh, yes! Madeli finally had to send him away. I believe he is with our guards now, practicing sword fighting. I watched him for a bit, but he wanted me to come check on you," she said, smiling widely.

"Queen Tritonia has returned?" Lucy asked, wanting to stop discussing Tirian.

"Yes, she came back just after you returned to the castle. She said Father spoke of me and said that I am to leave with you and King Tirian at the end of the week," Olyria said, picking a the bed's sheets.

"Leave? Why would you leave with us?" Lucy asked. Olyria shrugged slightly, a worried look growing on her face.

"The prophecy. I must go with the heroes. You'll return to your family and I will go with you to stop my uncle," she said, her voice slightly wavering. Lucy ran her fingers through the girl's hair comfortingly and patted her face, a gesture Susan had used on her as a child.

"I won't let anything happen to you. I'll keep you safe," Lucy said firmly.

"I know you'll try," Olyria said solemnly.

Olyria led Lucy to the castle's training grounds. Dozens of soldiers practiced there, sparring in pairs. She saw Tirian practicing with a man twice his size, their swords clashing together powerfully. She could see the anger on his face from where she stood across the field.

"How long has he been out here?" Lucy asked.

"I think this is his third hour. He's bested all of our strongest guards," Olyria replied as she bent down to pick a small flower. Lucy sighed deeply as she sank to the ground.

"This is such a mess. What am I going to do?" she asked. Olyria ran her hand over Lucy's hair.

"King Tirian loves you. Things will work out," she said, dropping the flower in Lucy's lap as she hurried towards the soldiers.

"Olyria, come back!" Lucy cried, worried that the girl would be hurt among the soldiers. At hearing her voice, Tirian turned towards where Lucy sat. She gasped as she saw his opponent strike at his legs, flipping him to the ground. Lucy scrambled up and hurried to where he had fallen, dodging the sparring soldiers as she ran across the field. Tirian pushed himself from the ground as Lucy reached him.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine," he said shortly, pushing past her as he stormed away. Lucy drew her lips together in anger and ran after him, grabbing his arm. Tirian spun towards her, anger flashing in his eyes.

"Lucy, please, get out of here before you get hurt," he said, pulling his arm away from her.

"Why are you mad at me? You're the one who told me not to love you," Lucy snapped.

"Is that what you think? That I'm mad at you? Are you really that foolish?" he asked loudly.

"What else am I supposed to think?" she cried. Tirian let out a noise of frustration and grabbed Lucy's hand, pulling her with him from the field.

When they had reached the edge of the field Tirian stopped and turned to Lucy. "You're supposed to think that maybe not everything has to do with you," he said.

"I'm well aware not everything has to do with me. That," Lucy said, pointing to the training field. "That most definitely had to do with me."

"Fine! Yes, it had to do with you! But that doesn't mean I'm mad at you, so stop jumping to the first conclusion your mind comes up with!" Tirian shouted, throwing his hands in frustration.

"Then what is it Tirian?" Lucy pleaded.

"Can't you just let this go?" he asked, his anger draining from his face.

"No. Whatever Thaliotari told you has created a problem between us. You don't love me. You've said I can't love you. So that can't be what he told you. What are you protecting me from?" Lucy asked, her voice growing distraught. Tirian stepped closer to her.

"Is that what you think? That I'm protecting you? That I don't love you?" he asked quietly. Lucy's heart began to race.

"What other explanation is there?" she whispered.

"What did I tell you about jumping to conclusions?" Tirian asked as he placed his hand on the side of Lucy's face, closing the distance between them. He pressed his lips against hers, kissing her deeply as he wound his arm around her waist, drawing her closer. Lucy quickly overcame her shock at being kissed and placed her arms on his chest. Tirian pulled back at her touch, keeping his arm at her waist, and sighed.

"What is it?" she asked, dazed from the kiss.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kissed you like that without first asking," Tirian said stiffly.

"Don't apologize. I didn't know that's what it was like," she said softly, leaning her head on his chest.

"What it was like? Haven't you been kissed before? You were engaged once," he stated. Lucy shook her head.

"He never kissed me. He was always very proper," Lucy muttered. She felt Tirian's chest shake as he laughed. She smiled against his chest; this was the first laugh she had heard from him since the night they had gone under the sea.

"Perhaps I should act a little more proper with you and stop stealing kisses," he teased, pulling her away from him.

"I don't think you can steal what's willingly given," Lucy laughed, wrapping her arms around Tirian's waist. Tirian chuckled and placed a small kiss on her forehead.

"I suppose I agree," he said, grinning at her.

"Does this mean you'll tell me now?" she asked hopefully. Tirian's grin faded and he sighed.

"Lucy, let's not ruin the moment with that, please? I promise I'll explain, but right now isn't the time," he said, his voice pained.

"Well, it is about time," a laughing voice called. Tirian and Lucy turned to see Queen Tritonia and Olyria walking towards them, both wearing wide smiles.

"I knew they would make up!" Olyria said happily as she let go of the queen's hand and skipped to Lucy's side, throwing her arms around her. Lucy let go of Tirian with one hand and wrapped it around Olyria's shoulders, hugging the girl to her. She glanced at Queen Tritonia and caught a pained look cross the queen's face.

"We came to find you both to tell you to come back to the castle," Queen Tritonia said, her face quickly turning back into her happy smile.

"We're going to have a ball tonight!" Olyria exclaimed.

"What's the celebration?" Tirian asked. Olyria pulled away from Lucy and giggled before saying, "It's my going away party, of course."

* * *

Later in the evening Lucy stood in her dressing room, worrying with her hair. Nerry had styled it for her, intricate twists and curls with ribbons woven through it, but one curl refused to lay right. With a sigh Lucy dropped the lock and stuck her tongue at the mirror.

"Fine, you win this time," she muttered. A knock sounded on her door and Queen Tritonia poked her head in.

"I do apologize for my intrusion, but I thought you might need something to wear tonight," she said holding a dress up. The dress, like many of the queen's, was made of the colors of the sea, deep greens and shimmering blues woven together to look like the moving water itself.

"It's lovely," Lucy said in awe, fingering the delicate material.

"I think it will look even lovelier on you," Queen Tritonia said, half smiling at Lucy. Lucy removed her robe and slid the dress over her head. The fabric flowed over her her feeling soft and cool against her skin. Queen Tritonia stood behind her buttoning the row of tiny clasps.

"It looks perfect," Lucy breathed, staring at her reflection.

"Like a true queen of Thalasea," Queen Tritonia agreed, smiling at Lucy in the mirror.

"Or of Narnia," Lucy murmured. A pang of homesickness overtook her as she stared at her reflection.

"Of course," the queen agreed, turning to sit on a low stool. "Queen Lucy, I must ask something of you." Lucy turned to the queen.

"Anything, of course," Lucy said.

"You will be leaving here soon, returning to where you came from. You will be taking Olyria with you," she said.

"Queen Tritonia, I'm afraid I don't understand why. Both you and Olyria have said that she will be leaving with me, but I don't understand for what purpose," Lucy said.

"I have always known Olyria would leave me one day. She is the key to my brother's undoing, the true weapon that can save our world. If Erivin has truly been attacking another world then it is only a matter of time before he comes to destroy all that I have built here. You must use her or else you will fail," Queen Tritonia said sadly, a small tear slipping from her eye.

"She's just a child, a little girl. How can you ask me to use her?" Lucy asked, growing upset.

"Olyria may look like a little girl, but she is no little girl. Surely you must know that. She understands her role and has accepted it better than I have. I know you both will do the right thing when the time comes. But until then, you must protect her. Care for her and keep her safe when I cannot," the queen pleaded, grasping Lucy's hands.

"Of course! How could I not?" Lucy asked, squeezing Queen Tritonia's hands gently. She stood and took Lucy in her arms, hugging her tightly.

"Thank you, Queen Lucy. You must be her Madeli now," she whispered as she pulled away. Lucy gave her a small smile and nodded, unable to speak. "I must go now. Our guests will arrive shortly. I will see you soon," Queen Tritonia said as she turned to leave. Lucy stared at the closed door as tears began to slide down her face.

* * *

Lucy walked through the tall gilt doors of the castle's ballroom. Dancers wearing brightly colored clothing spun, the colors swirling together as lively music played. Hundreds of candles hung from gold and crystal chandeliers, making the golden walls shine. Lucy stepped further into the room, looking for Tirian. She smiled when her eyes caught his blue ones. He stepped towards her, a wide smile on his face. Lucy's heart began to race as he neared. He was more handsome than she had ever seen him, dressed in a deep blue tunic over a stark white shirt and trousers, tall boots on his feet.

"Well, your majesty, you look lovely," he said gallantly, lifting her hand to his lips and pressing a kiss on it.

"You look very nice as well," Lucy said, giggling at Tirian's behavior. Tirian chuckled as he tucked Lucy's hand in his arm.

"Thank you. Shall we dance?" he asked, leading her towards the dancers. Lucy glanced at the swirling couples before nodding. Tirian placed his hand on her waist and pulled her close, clasping her hand in his.

"I think I should warn you that I'm not a very good dancer," Lucy said, raising her eyebrows guilty. Tirian smiled and leaned close to her ear.

"That's very good to know because neither am I," he whispered as he spun her around.

The ball lasted for hours, the music never stopping as Tirian and Lucy danced through the night. Lucy danced with Olyria several times, twirling the little girl as they skipped and spun. Tirian danced with her as well, holding her as he waltzed her around the room. She giggled as she watched him dancing with Olyria now, dipping the little girl back as she squealed in delight. A sudden burst of air swept through the room, blowing most of the candles out. Screams filled the room as the ballroom doors burst open. Tirian hurried to Lucy, Olyria still in his arms. The smell of the sea filled the air as a large figure stepped through the doors.

"Queen Lucy!" Olyria cried. Tirian passed the girl to her. Lucy hugged her tightly as she shielded Olyria away.

"Tritonia!" the figure called, his deep voice resonating through the room. Olyria's head turned from where it was buried in Lucy's neck.

"It's Father!" she whispered excitedly, squirming from Lucy's arms.

"Olyria, wait!" Lucy cried, attempting to grab the girl. She missed and watched Olyria hurry to Thaliotari, stopping just in front of him. "Tirian, we have to go with her!" Lucy said urgently, grabbing Tirian's hand and pulling him with her. As they reached the front of the ballroom, they saw Tritonia step towards Thaliotari.

"I'm here, Father. What is it?" she asked. Lucy placed her hands on Olyria's shoulders, holding the girl to her.

"Tritonia, Olyria, it is time," he said gravely, glancing between the two. Lucy watched as Queen Tritonia's face changed from serene to stormy. Her eyes blazed furiously as her hair darkened to near black. Lucy held her breath as she saw Queen Tritonia clench her fists, her body shaking violently.

"Tritonia!" Olryia said, her voice deeper than normal, as she pulled away from Lucy. She hurried to Queen Tritonia and grasped her hand tightly. Queen Tritonia looked down, her eyes widening when she saw the girl. "No," Olyria said simply. Lucy saw the queen visibly calm, her shaking ceasing and her hair turning back to its normal shade. Her eyes continued to storm, but they seemed to change from anger to fear.

"Tritonia, my dear one, you knew this day would come. It is time," Thaliotari repeated, his voice softening as he spoke. He turned to Lucy and Tirian. "The threat to Choras is growing quicker than I imagined. It is time for you to return," he said.

"We're ready," Tirian said. Lucy felt his hand slide down her arm and grasp her hand, squeezing it tightly in his.

"I will wait for you all," Thaliotari said, nodding to them as he turned to leave.

Lucy and Tirian walked back to their room in silence, their hands clasped tightly together. "Why do you think Queen Tritonia was so upset?" Tirian asked as he opened the door.

"Olyria is to come with us. She's the only one who can stop Erivin," Lucy said gravely, stepping into the room.

"What? How? She's just a child!" Tirian exclaimed. Lucy spun towards him, tears filling her eyes.

"She's stronger than you think. I was only a child, not much older than her, when I helped to stop the White Witch, when I helped to defeat Miraz. This is her destiny!" Lucy cried, her tears falling.

"Lucy, Lucy, Lucy," Tirian said softly, taking her in his arms.

"I can't stop it. We have to take her. We have to take care of her," Lucy sobbed, her tears soaking Tirian's tunic.

"We will, no matter what," he said, rubbing her back soothingly. Lucy took a deep shaky breath and pulled away, wiping her tears from her face.

"Let's get changed and go. We're needed," she said walking towards her dressing room. Tirian grabbed her hand, turning her towards him and said, "Don't worry. Things will be okay." He leaned down and kissed her cheek, smoothing a hand over her hair before he turned to walk to his own dressing room. A shiver shot down Lucy's spine as she watched him leave, her heart filling with the love for him she had known was always there.

Once they were dressed, Lucy and Tirian made their way to the sea shore where Thaliotari, Queen Tritonia and Olyria stood waiting. The night sky was bright with the full moon, shining on the water before them. Thaliotari raised his hand over the water, causing it to part and create a path to his castle below. The five walked in silence, moving deeper under the sea. Queen Tritonia turned and waved her hand. The water behind them came back together, creating a wall of water.

When they reached the cavern's entrance, Olyria released Queen Tritonia's hand and stood before Lucy and Tirian. "Come when you are ready, child," Thaliotari said gravely, pulling Queen Tritonia inside the cavern with him.

"Are you okay?" Lucy asked, kneeling beside the girl.

"This is harder than I expected," Olyria said, her lower lip trembling. Lucy took the girl in her arms, hugging her tightly.

"We'll bring you back," she whispered. Olyria pulled away and shook her head.

"No, you won't," she replied, turning towards the cavern and running in its entrance.

"Come on," Tirian said, pulling Lucy up. They followed Olyria into the cavern's large open room. Thaliotari stood in front of the center door, watching Queen Tritonia and Olyria say their goodbyes.

"Once you enter through here, you will be returned to the Wood between the Worlds. There is no turning back through this door," Thaliotari said, placing his hand on the knob.

"I'm ready," Olyria said, her voice shaking slightly as she stepped to the door.

"King Tirian, you must not lose either of them. Take care of your girls," Thaliotari said, nodding to Tirian.

"I will, sir," he replied firmly.

"Dear child, you are the key. Be brave and know I will always be with you," Thaliotari said to Olyria.

"I will, Father," she said, hugging him around his legs. Thaliotari picked her up and hugged her tightly before passing her to Tirian.

"Lucy, I see why you are one of Aslan's favorites. Don't lose hope," he said.

"Thank you, sir, for everything," Lucy said softly.

"You need to go now," Queen Tritonia said sadly.

"How can we ever thank you for your kindness and hospitality?" Lucy asked, hugging the woman.

"Take care of my girl. You know how much she matters," Queen Tritonia whispered in Lucy's ear.

"We will," Lucy whispered back.

"Come," Thaliotari said, opening the door. Lucy and Tirian stood in front of the doorway, blackness staring back at them. Lucy grasped Tirian's hand.

"Are we ready?" he asked, glancing at Olyria in his arms. She nodded and looked at Lucy, who also nodded. Together they stepped forward into the dark room. Swirling blue overtook them, pulling them deeper into the room and upwards until they broke through the top of a small pool deep in the heart of the wood.


	23. Chapter 23

Lucy and Tirian broke through the pool, sputtering as they treaded water. Firm hands grasped Lucy's arms pulling her out of the water.

"Lucy!" she heard a woman cry as arms wrapped around her.

"Where is she?" Tirian yelled, pulling out of the arms that had grasped him. Lucy turned to look from Susan, who was holding her.

"Olyria!" Lucy cried, struggling against her sister.

"Who?" Edmund asked, looking at his sister in surprise.

"Let me go Susan!" Lucy exclaimed. Susan dropped her arms from around her sister. Lucy hurried to Tirian, who stood next to the pool, a frantic look on his face. "What did you do? She was in your arms!" Lucy cried, grasping Tirian's arm roughly.

"She just disappeared! I don't know what happened!" he said loudly. A loud gasp from the water caught their attention as a small head of blonde hair broke through the surface.

"Grab her!" Lucy cried. Tirian reached for the girl and pulled her out, wrapping her tightly in his arms.

"Queen Lucy!" Olyria sobbed, leaning towards Lucy. She took her from Tirian and hugged her tightly.

"Um, Lu? What's going on?" Peter asked hesitantly as he watched the three.

"What are you wearing? You've been gone for only a minute," Susan added, picking the fabric of Lucy's cloak gingerly.

"A minute?" Tirian asked, glaring confusedly at Lucy.

"Susan we've been gone for days," Lucy explained as she set Olyria on the ground.

"No, you fell in the water, we rushed over here and then pulled you out," Edmund explained slowly.

"Don't you all see? It must be that wonky way Narnian time works," Eustace said.

"Wait a minute, all of you!" Georgie exclaimed as she pushed towards Lucy and Tirian. "Lucy, who is this?"

"Oh! This is Olyria," Lucy said, placing her hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Where did she come from? Where did you both go?" Georgie asked curiously.

"That, I'm afraid, is a long story that we really don't have time to explain. We need to find Choras now," Tirian said solemnly.

"I think I've found it," Laira called from several feet away.

"What? Where?" Peter asked, hurrying towards his wife. The others followed, gathering around the pool where Laira stood. The water was swirled with red, its glassy surface muddled by the deep color.

"Aslan said we would know it when we saw it. This must be it," Laira said.

"What do we do now?" Jill asked.

"We go in," Tirian said, grasping Lucy's hand in his. They stepped into the water, instantly disappearing through its surface. Lucy felt Olyria's hand tighten in hers as they appeared in a field.

"Is this it?" she asked taking in the lush green world they had entered.

"I don't know," Tirian said, dropping Lucy's hand as he stepped forward.

"Are you okay?" Lucy asked Olyria as she knelt down next to the little girl.

"I am," Olyria said, nodding quickly. The others appeared shortly after, two at a time.

"Do you think this is it?" Robert asked.

"How exactly are we supposed to know?" Susan said, taking his hand in hers.

"Look!" Olyria cried, pointing across the field. Lucy turned and gasped. Standing far across the field was a large lion, the sun shining behind him.

"It's Aslan!" Peter exclaimed. They hurried towards him, hearts lifting at seeing the Lion.

"Welcome friends. Welcome to Choras," Aslan said when they reached him.

"Oh, good! We picked the right pool!" Jill exclaimed happily.

"That you did. I see you have brought someone new, however," Aslan said, moving closer to Olyria. She hugged close to Lucy, nervous of the Lion. "Do not be afraid, little one. I mean you no harm and bring you greetings from your father," he said.

"You know my father?" Olyria asked, pulling away from Lucy.

"Of course. Would you like to come and walk with me?" Aslan asked. Olyria nodded and placed her hand on Aslan's mane, walking away from the group with him. When they were several yards away, the others turned to Tirian and Lucy.

"Okay, it's time you two explained what happened," Peter demanded.

"We fell in the pool back in the Wood and it took us to a world called Thalasea," Lucy began.

"Thalasea? What kind of place is that?" Eustace asked, crinkling his nose as he spoke.

"It was beautiful, really. Like nothing I've ever seen," Lucy said with a small smile on her face.

"We met its queen, Tritonia, and stayed at her castle while we were there. The girl, Olyria, is, I suppose you could say, her daughter," Tirian said.

"Why did Aslan say he knew her father?" Susan asked. Lucy sighed and glanced at Tirian hesitantly.

"Just tell them," he said softly.

"Olyria's father is the creator of Thalasea. His name is Thaliotari. He's also Aslan's brother," Lucy began but was interrupted by a barrage of questions from the others.

"Please! Let us finish," Tirian said loudly, holding his hands up. When they had silenced, Lucy continued, "Queen Tritonia is a child of the sea in her world but Olyria was created from Thaliotari. Queen Tritonia has a twin, Erivin. He's the one who has entered Choras and has created the threat to this world. Once he overtakes this world he has plans to get rid of Queen Tritonia and rule Thalasea. Olyria is the only one who can truly defeat him, which is why she came back with us."

"How is she supposed to defeat him?" Edmund asked. Lucy shrugged her shoulders and shook her head slightly.

"We don't know. I'm not even sure if she really knows," she said, glancing towards Olyria and Aslan.

Nearly an hour had passed since Aslan had walked away with Olyria. Lucy and Tirian sat with the others on the grass, waiting for the Lion and girl to return. Lucy watched her siblings as they lounged, talking softly with each other and their spouses happily. Even Eustace and Jill seemed to be lighter now that they had arrived and were with Aslan. She sighed slightly and drew her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and leaning her chin on her right knee.

"What is it?" Tirian asked softly, leaning closer to her.

"What do you think he's telling her? They've been talking for so long! What could he possibly be telling her?" she asked worriedly. Olyria's face seemed to change from happy to sad to worried to excited as Lucy watched her.

"That I don't know," Tirian answered, gently stroking her hair once.

"Don't," Lucy whispered, straightening at his touch.

"Don't what?" Tirian asked alarmed, pulling his hand back quickly.

"My brothers and sister. Now isn't the time to explain what's between us," Lucy said softly as she leaned her head back on her knee.

"Exactly what is between us then?" he whispered harshly. Lucy turned her head sideways.

"Tirian, please. Not now," she pleaded softly. He sighed and nodded, looking back towards Olyria and Aslan. Lucy turned as well and smiled when she saw they were walking towards them. The ten stood when Aslan neared.

"There is not a moment to lose. You will travel west of here, towards the mountains. Near the woods that surround them will sit castle Chor Kasro. King Patria will greet you there," Aslan explained.

"Aslan, what will happen when we arrive?" Edmund asked.

"I will let King Patria explain that. I have seen him and told him of what he must do. He will tell you what you must do," Aslan answered.

"Sir, what about Olyria?" Lucy asked, placing her hand on the girl's shoulder. Aslan looked at the girl, nodding at her. Olyria returned his nod and glanced up at Lucy.

"The child knows what she must do and has accepted her responsibility," he said gravely.

"Don't worry, Queen Lucy. I'm not afraid," Olyria said, smiling at Lucy.

"Well then, we should get going," Peter announced. The group said their goodbyes to Aslan and began walking west.

* * *

The sun had started to drop low, creating long shadows behind them as they walked towards the mountains. A cool breeze started to blow as dusk set in.

"Perhaps we should stop here for the night, Peter," Edmund said.

"Yes, let's do that," Georgie added, leaning on him.

"We need to keep on going though," Peter said firmly. Laira placed her hand on his arm.

"Peter, darling, we're exhausted. We've been walking for hours with very little rest; we need to stop for the night," she said.

"But," he began, stopping short when he caught Laira's sharp stare. "Oh, alright," Peter gave in.

They quickly made camp and soon a cheery fire was burning from wood Jill and Eustace gathered. After eating a meal of the bread, meat and cheese which they had brought with them, they began to relax, talking softly in small groups of three or four. Olyria laid her head in Lucy's lap and fell asleep as Lucy ran her fingers through her hair. Lucy watched the low flames of the fire dance and flicker, vaguely aware of Tirian's hardened gaze at her. Occasionally she would glance up and catch his eyes, her heart racing with each glance. She felt someone sit next to her.

"Would you like to explain to me why Tirian is looking at you like he would either like to challenge you to a dual or kiss you senseless?" Susan asked quietly, casting an amused look at her younger sister. Lucy felt her cheeks blaze as she scowled.

"It's nothing," she muttered. Susan snorted.

"If you say so," she chuckled, nudging Lucy's arm.

"Susan," Lucy said warningly.

"Okay, okay," Susan said, holding her hands up. Olyria stirred slightly against Lucy.

"Susan, what's it like to be a mother?" she asked. Susan glanced at the sleeping girl.

"I find it to be one of the best things I can imagine. She's a very curious little girl," Susan replied.

"That she is. Susan, what am I going to do with her?" Lucy asked.

"Wouldn't you take her home after everything is finished here?" Susan asked. Lucy shook her head.

"I don't think she's meant to return. I don't know what she's meant to do or if she's even meant to survive," Lucy said sadly.

"What are you saying? Do you think she'll be killed? Lucy, you can't let that happen!" Susan implored, laying her hand on her sister's.

"Susan, of course I won't let that happen! But what if it's meant to happen? Aslan has a role for her; Thaliotari has a role for her. She knows her role and is ready to play it," Lucy said.

"Well, what if she's meant to survive?" Susan asked. "Of course that's what I hope is meant to happen, but that's also what worries me the most. Can she return with us if she does survive? What do I do with her?" Lucy said.

"I suppose you become her mother," Susan said logically. Lucy sighed.

"But can I be a mother? I'm starting to love her but is that enough? Can you love a child that isn't your own as much as one that is your own?" Lucy asked, looking worriedly at her sister. Susan glanced at her husband, who was laughing with Peter and Edmund, and smiled.

"Yes, I know you can. Every time I see Robert with Edward I know, truly know, that he loves my son as if he were his own," she said.

"I hope you're right, for Olyria's sake," Lucy said. Susan put her arm around her sister's shoulders and gave her a small squeeze.

"Of course I'm right," she teased, placing a sisterly kiss on Lucy's forehead. "Now, get some rest. Tomorrow's a busy day."

* * *

When they awoke the next morning and cleared the camp, they continued on their journey to Chor Kasro. The land was easy to navigate and travel its flat gentle land stretching on for miles. As they neared the woods that were at the foot of the mountains, the castle came into view. Although not as magnificent as their home Cair Paravel, this castle had certain charm to it. Chor Kasro seemed to blend in with its surrounding country, the morning sunlight bouncing cheerily from its golden colored walls. A large drawbridge was lowered, a welcoming sign. They reached the drawbridge and stopped, unsure if they should enter.

"Should we just go in?" Susan asked, glancing at the others. As if they had heard her speak, two armed guards appeared at the head of the drawbridge, swords drawn.

"State your purpose here," one of the guards barked. Peter stepped forward, his hand resting casually on the hilt of his sword.

"I am High King Peter of Narnia. We have been sent here by Aslan to see your king," he called back. The two guards visibly relaxed and returned their swords to their sheaths.

"Come, this way," the same guard said motioning them forward. The Narnians and Olyria followed the guards into the castle. When they had passed through the castle's gates the drawbridge began to rise, slowly creaking as it closed.

**AN: Okay... I am hanging my head in shame because I haven't updated in... well I don't even remember when I last updated. It has been CRAZY busy around here lately and I simply have not had any time to do anything, much less write. So I apologize and hope you're still wanting to finish this story! I really have missed writing and reading your reviews... I've missed all of my readers, both old and new! Although I hope you all won't get me back by waiting 2 weeks to review like I made you wait for the next chapter! :-) **


	24. Chapter 24

**AN Part 1: Sorry, sorry, sorry it took me so long again! I'm gonna lock myself away with my computer this weekend and work diligently on the next chapter so you won't have to wait so long for an update! **

The guards led the Narnians through the castle. It was a maze, full of twists and turns, entering and exiting rooms as they passed large statues of various types of creatures. Some they had seen before, dwarves and dryads, fauns and centaurs. Others were unfamiliar but beautiful nonetheless. The guards stopped in front of a pair of tall wooden doors. Into the paneling of it were carvings of different scenes, some pleasant while others of more gruesome battles.

"Wait here while we announce your presence," one of the guards commanded as he pushed open the door. The other guard followed, shutting the door behind him.

"Do you suppose this is where the king is?" Jill asked.

"Whoever is behind there, I hope we don't end up like this fellow," Eustace commented as he ran his hand over a carving of a man being squashed by a giant's foot.

"Eustace, don't be horrible," Susan scolded.

"The guards seemed to know we were coming. Perhaps they've brought us to King Patria. Aslan did say he had warned the king of our arrival," Peter said.

Several moments later the doors opened wide revealing a large room. At the head of the room sat a large wooden throne, deep red curtains hanging overhead. The person they saw sitting in the throne surprised them. Rather than the king they were expecting sat a small boy, about eleven or twelve. He wore a gold crown that seemed to sit crooked on his head as if it were too big and his feet didn't quite touch the floor. As they neared the throne, the boy straightened nervously.

"You are King Peter from Narnia?" he asked timidly as the Narnians bowed before him. Peter stood and nodded.

"I am your majesty. This is my brother King Edmund and sisters Queen Susan and Queen Lucy," he replied, motioning to his siblings as they stood as well.

"Aslan told me you four were the greatest kings and queens Narnia ever had. He said to expect you, but did not mention you would bring so many others with you. It is quite a surprise," King Patria said. The others straightened as Peter made introductions, King Patria nodding hesitantly to each of the Narnians.

"I suppose it's a surprise for us too, your majesty. We were expecting someone a little, well, older," Tirian said. The Pevensies, Eustace and Jill turned to him, each wearing a scowl on his or her face.

"Just because he is young does not mean he is not brave or kingly, King Tirian," Peter said.

"Remember, we were all children when we helped to save Narnia," Lucy added.

"Of course, I know that. I only meant I was expecting an adult, not a child," Tirian argued.

"Just because I am not old like you doesn't mean I can't be king!" King Patria cried, hopping from his throne. The robe he wore around his shoulders pooled at his feet, too long for his young body, as his crown slipped further down his head. He pushed it back in place. The Narnians turned quickly to him, embarrassed by their arguing in front of him.

"I apologize, your majesty. I mean no disrespect," Tirian quickly apologized.

"Please excuse my brother. He still seems to think it is alright to pitch tantrums," a stern voice said from behind them. The Narnians turned and saw a young woman walking towards them. She seemed to be near Lucy's age, beautiful and tall.

"Be quiet! I do not pitch tantrums!" King Patria shouted, stamping his foot. The woman laughed lightly and shook her head.

"Welcome to our home. I am Princess Adria," she said, smiling warmly at the Narnians.

A sudden cold gust of wind filled the throne room causing the blazing torches that hung on the walls to go out. The doors to the room flew open, slamming against the walls as they did. The guards in the room drew their swords, as did the Narnian men. Lucy grabbed Olyria and pulled the girl behind her.

"Oh no!" she heard King Patria cry as he hurried towards his sister.

"Well, well, well, King Patria. Hiding behind your sister's skirts again, I see?" a horrible voice said. Lucy's eyes widened as a man walked into the room. He wore all black, a long cape trailing behind him as he strode arrogantly towards them. His hair was dark, his eyes stormy grey and his smile was crooked, evil and cunning.

"I'm not hiding! I'm protecting her from the likes of you!" King Patria yelled, his voice barely hiding his fear. The man chuckled sinisterly as he removed his gloves.

"I see you have some visitors. Please, allow me to introduce myself. I am Erivin, soon to be king of this country," he said, bowing sarcastically to them.

"You'll never be king as long as I am alive," King Patria said, stepping forward. Erivin smirked at the young king.

"Now, where have I heard that before? Oh yes, from your father," he said. King Patria let out a sharp cry.

"Do not talk about our father like that!" he cried. Erivin laughed.

"I will have this kingdom and will rule Choras, whether you give it to me peacefully or not. And Princess Adria, I would have you for my queen if that would make you happy," he said. Princess Adria scoffed.

"I would rather die than be your queen," she spat. Erivin shrugged.

"It makes no difference what you wish. Now, who are these visitors?" he asked, turning to the Narnians.

"I am High King Peter of Narnia and we are the heroes of Narnia sent here by Aslan to help vanquish you," Peter said in a strong and firm voice. Erivin chuckled deeply and slowly smiled.

"A pretty speech from a pretty king but hardly anything to strike fear into me. Should you try to stop me from taking what I want, I will destroy you as easily as I will destroy that little runt of a king," Erivin sneered.

"Not likely," Edmund said, stepping next to Peter and raising his sword. Erivin's eyes darkened to near black. Lucy had seen that look on Tritonia before, knowing his anger had grown as hers had. She gasped lightly. Tirian, who stood next to her, turned at the small noise. He took her hand, pulling her gently towards him.

"You dare to think that you are a match for me? Me, Erivin of Thalasea who is more powerful than any of you could imagine?" he yelled, his hands curling into fists. Lucy felt Olyria squirm away from her.

"No!" Lucy hissed, grasping at the small girl. The noise caught Erivin's attention and he turned towards Lucy and Olyria as the girl struggled to leave Lucy's grasp.

"Olyria, my dear niece," he said, his anger dissipating from his eyes. Olyria stopped struggling and stared at Erivin. Lucy felt the child stiffen under her hands.

"Uncle," she replied, her voice changing from its normal childlike tone.

"I see my sister has sent a child to do what she could not. How foolish," Erivin said, his eyes narrowing at her.

"Perhaps Father sees more in me than he ever saw in you," Olyria replied coldly.

"You dare..." Erivin started, stepping towards the small girl, his eyes growing darker than ever. He stopped as Tirian stepped in front of Olyria, his sword pointed at Erivin's throat.

"Another step towards the girl and, Aslan help me, I will end you," he said in a low, deadly voice. Erivin stared angrily at Tirian, matching his cold stare.

"Mark me; you will pay for your threat to me. All of you!" Erivin shouted as he spun around, his black cape flying away from him as he marched from the room. Stopping at the doors he turned, his face dark. "King Patria, I will have Choras whether you give it to me willing or not. I will give you three days to surrender or else there will be war like you have never imagined," Erivin warned before leaving. The doors slammed behind him, brought together as by magic. The room filled with silence.

"What are we going to do?" King Patria wailed, breaking the silence. He sat back on his throne, his face looking miserable as he looked to Peter.

"I say we have a party," Princess Adria suggested, smiling towards the Narnians.

"A party? Adria, have you lost your mind?" King Patria asked, giving his sister an exasperated look.

"Princess Adria, as much as I love a good party, I wonder if right now is the time for such an event," Susan said diplomatically. Princess Adria waved her hand and smiled.

"Nonsense! We have guests and it would be rude for us not to celebrate your arrival. Besides, if we only have three days before a war, I think it's only right that we celebrate while we can," she said.

"But, Adria," King Patria began to argue but was cut off by his sister's sharp look.

"Come, let me show you to your rooms where you'll stay while here," she offered, holding her arm towards the door. Lucy glanced back at the young king who seemed to slump in his throne, pouting slightly. She smiled slightly, remembering several times when she had done the very same thing. It had been difficult being a young ruler, but even more so when she had three older siblings who nearly always overruled her.

Princess Adria led the Narnians through the castle to the guest wing where rooms had been prepared, pointing out various paintings and statues as they walked. Tirian leaned down to Lucy and whispered, "Should we tell her we're married as we did in Thalasea?" Lucy's head shot towards him, her horrified face catching his teasing grin.

"Absolutely not!" she whispered back.

"Lucy, calm down. I was only making a joke," he said, frowning at her.

"We can't joke about that now, not with my siblings here. They would murder us if they knew how we acted in Thalasea," she said, narrowing her eyes as she looked forward.

"Ouch, Queen Lucy!" Olyria said, pulling her hand out of Lucy's. Lucy had tightened her grip on Olyria's hand, unaware of her actions.

"I'm sorry," she said, softening her gaze. She heard Tirian sigh behind them.

"You worry entirely too much Lucy," he said softly. As they entered the guest wing of the castle, dozens of doors lined the long hall.

"This is where you will stay while here. We have prepared rooms for you and I hope you will find them comfortable," Princess Adria said, opening the first door. "King Peter, Queen Laira, this will be your room." She led them inside while the others waited in the hall, returning quickly and closing the door behind her. She took the others to their rooms, Edmund and Georgie next to Peter, Susan and Robert across the hall. Eustace and Jill each had rooms across from the other.

"Queen Lucy, I know you would like to be with the child, so we have prepared a larger room for you both," Princess Adria said, opening a pair of double doors. Lucy and Olyria walked inside, both gasping at the lavish room.

"Look at the bed!" Olyria exclaimed, rushing to the large bed that took up a good portion of the room, climbing onto it and bouncing excitedly. Lucy and Tirian both laughed quickly before stopping and staring at each other.

"I trust you find it satisfactory?" Princess Adria asked, smiling widely at Olyria who had laid back on the bed, sinking into the deep bedding.

"It's perfect. Thank you," Lucy said, smiling warmly at the princess.

"Wonderful! Now, King Tirian, come. I have a perfect room for you," Princess Adria said, linking her arm through Tirian's and giving him a coy smile as she led him from the room. Lucy spun towards Tirian, meeting his eyes with a look of outrage. Tirian's surprised face melted into a smirk, his eyes silently laughing at Lucy's apparent jealousy.

"Get some rest Lucy. You too, Olyria. I'll see you both at dinner," he said, chuckling as he pulled the doors closed behind him. Lucy let out a noise of frustration and stomped her foot.

"What's wrong, Queen Lucy?" Olyria asked. Lucy turned to the girl and saw she had started to bounce again on the bed, a wide smile on her face.

"Nothing. Tirian is right, we should get some rest. Stop bouncing like that on the bed. It could break," she scolded. Olyria quickly stopped, her smile fading into a concerned frown. Lucy sighed. _I'm starting to sound just like Susan_, she thought, annoyed with her scolding.

"Oh, never mind. Let's both bounce," she said, smiling at Olyria as she rushed to the bed, hopping on it and bouncing with the girl. Olyria squealed and bounced as well before both fell over, holding their sides in fits of giggles.

* * *

Later in the evening a servant led Lucy and Olyria to a large dining room where the others had gathered for dinner. She scowled slightly when she saw Tirian was sitting next to Princess Adria, who seemed to be hanging on his every word. Lucy inwardly laughed when she saw Tirian throw her a helpless glance as she entered the room.

"Lucy, you made it! We were wondering if you both were still sleeping," Edmund teased as she and Olyria sat in two empty seats.

"Yes, I'm very glad you joined us. We have planned a very lovely meal for you," Princess Adria said politely, turning from Tirian to smile at Lucy. Servants began ladling soup into bowls and placing them at each place.

"Eat, I know you all must be hungry," Princess Adria urged. The Narnians began spooning their soup, complimenting their hosts on it. As the main course was served, Peter spoke, "I suppose should begin to discuss this war Erivin has promised us." King Patria's fork clattered to the table as his face paled.

"Must we really have a war? Couldn't we just give in?" he asked.

"Patria! How can you ask that? Father did not die for us to simply give in!" Princess Adria spat at her brother.

"Father also didn't die just so we could be killed by his murder, Adria!" the young king fired back.

"Excuse me, but I think we are all missing something. Erivin killed your father?" Eustace asked. King Patria nodded.

"He demanded Father surrender and give him our kingdom. Father refused and the next day he and Mother were killed," he explained, choking on the last of his words.

"They had been poisoned at breakfast. Erivin thought he was killing all of us, but Patria thankfully had woken up sick and I've never been an early riser. Once it was discovered, neither of us were allowed to eat anything that had been prepared that day. Our guards questioned all of the staff, but no one seemed to be the culprit. Patria was crowned king the next morning in a quick ceremony and we've been heavily guarded ever since," Princess Adria finished explaining.

"That's terrible," Susan said softly.

"We won't let him win. We will defeat him," Edmund said, thumping his fist on the table.

"I agree. I say first thing tomorrow we begin training and working out battle strategies. I think we have all been in enough of them so that we can be successful," Robert said.

"How does your army look?" Edmund asked. King Patria and Princess Adria exchanged nervous glances.

"Unfortunately, not very well. They have been picked off over the past month, a few turning up dead nearly every day. We have restricted their traveling and kept them close to the castle, hoping that will keep them safe. It has helped some, but the losses have weakened our army," King Patria explained.

"Well, we've defeated armies with even less," Peter boasted.

"That may be, King Peter, but Erivin is a different kind of enemy. He has powers like none other," Olyria said, her voice hardening. The others turned to her.

"Olyria is right. We saw how his sister, Queen Tritonia, was. Thaliotari explained of how dangerous they could both be when angered," Lucy added.

"Lu, we defeated the White Witch. We'll defeat Erivin," Peter argued firmly.

"Your brother is right, Lucy. We were all chosen by Aslan to come here because he knew we could defeat Erivin," Tirian said. Lucy turned quickly to him, surprised by his agreement with Peter.

"Tirian, how can you say that? You know how Queen Tritonia was!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, but we aren't fighting Queen Tritonia. Now, in the morning, I think we all should examine the soldiers. Queen Susan and Queen Georgiana can work with the archers while we work with the others," he said, ignoring Lucy's look of outrage.

"That's a sound plan. It's been a while since any of us have led an army. We may need the extra work ourselves," Peter agreed.

"Wonderful! While everyone is training I can begin the arrangements for your welcome party!" Princess Adria said happily. King Patria groaned and scowled at his sister.

"Well, if we're all going to be up early and training all day, I think I need to go to bed," Georgie announced, pushing herself from her chair. Edmund quickly jumped up to help her. Lucy laughed silently as she watched Georgie slap away Edmund's hands and roll her eyes at him.

"I say we all get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day," Susan agreed. The Narnians stood and thanked King Patria and Princess Adria for dinner and bid them goodnight.

* * *

Lucy lay in the bed hours later, unable to sleep. Olyria had fallen asleep instantly, curled in a ball under the covers. Lucy gave her a quick glance and slipped out of the bed, grabbing the wrapper Princess Adria had given her. She quietly walked from the room and down the hallway to Tirian's room, knocking lightly on the door. Moments later he appeared at the door, a surprised look on his face when he saw her.

"What are you-" he started but was interrupted by Lucy.

"Why didn't you agree with me at dinner?" she demanded angrily.

"What?" he asked in confusion.

"You know what Queen Tritonia was like and you know that we were warned of how dangerous Erivin can be. How could you act like everything would be alright, especially knowing why we brought Olyria here?" she spat, her fury growing. Tirian sighed deeply and stepped back.

"Come inside. You're going to wake everyone up yelling at me in the hallway," he said. Lucy glanced down the hallway, relieved no one was around, and stepped into Tirian's room. He closed the door behind her.

"I didn't agree with you because by admitting that there's a great possibility that we may not win would only upset the king and his sister," Tirian explained gently.

"Well, you certainly wouldn't want to upset Princess Adria," Lucy muttered.

"Or her brother. Lucy, what's wrong with you?" Tirian asked incredulously.

"Nothing," Lucy said, crossing her arms across her chest. Tirian rolled his eyes.

"Will you stop being so difficult?" he asked.

"I'm not being difficult," she muttered.

"Whatever you're being, then, stop it. I know you're worried about things, about Olyria. I am, too," he said gently.

"You all are acting as though this is going to be easy, that we're definitely going to win. What if we don't? And if we do win, at what cost?" Lucy asked, tears forming in her eyes. Tirian took her in his arms, hugging her tightly.

"I will keep you safe," he said firmly. Lucy shook her head against him and quickly stepped back.

"It isn't me I'm worried about, Tirian!" she exclaimed as tears streamed down her face.

"Then what is it?" he asked, astonished by her outburst. Lucy struggled to calm herself, inhaling deeply as she shook her head.

"I shouldn't be in here," she said, turning to leave. Tirian's hand shot out and grasped her wrist.

"Lucy, please…" he trailed off. She pulled her hand away. Tirian's eyes narrowed.

"Why are you acting like this? Just days ago I thought you… I thought we had something," he said, his voice hardening.

"Tirian, I can't do this right now," she said, her heart beginning to race.

"Why?" he spat.

"My brothers and sister. I'm not ready to tell them. What would they think about what we did there, pretending to be married, kissing?" she replied.

"Who cares? I know you think your siblings are perfect, but do you honestly think they've always acted innocently? Do you think they will look down on you for kissing me? By the mane, look at your sister!" Tirian exclaimed, his voice growing louder. Lucy gasped, her eyes widening in outrage.

"Don't you dare speak of my sister like that!" she yelled.

"Lucy, that isn't what I meant," Tirian said quickly.

"I know exactly what you meant," Lucy said angrily as she spun away from him and reached for the door.

"Lucy, please, don't leave like this," Tirian pleaded.

"Goodnight Tirian," she said firmly as she opened the door to leave, slamming it behind her.

"Lucy?" she heard Edmund call sharply.

"Oh, for the love of Aslan," she muttered as she glanced towards her brother, her cheeks flaming. Edmund's face was dark as he stormed towards her.

"Exactly what are you doing coming out of his room in the middle of the night?" he demanded as he neared. His face seemed to grow angrier as he noticed Lucy's tear-streaked face. He grabbed her shoulder and asked, "What did he do to you?"

"What? Edmund, nothing happened. Please don't be so angry," Lucy said, shrugging out of his grasp.

"Lucy, don't lie to me. What happened?" he asked. Lucy shook her head slightly before answering.

"We had a fight. It's nothing, honestly. Please don't be so concerned," she said, hoping to placate her brother. Edmund glared at her for several moments before relaxing.

"I guess I understand. G and I used to have fights," he started, stopping quickly when Lucy shot him a dark look.

"This isn't like the fights you and Georgiana would have," she said shortly. Edmund shrugged.

"If you say so," he replied.

"Why are you up anyway?" Lucy asked.

"G was tossing and turning so much I couldn't sleep. I, for one, will be very glad when the baby gets here so I can get a decent night's sleep for a change," he said.

"Maybe you should speak to Susan and Robert before making assumptions," Lucy giggled. Edmund rolled his eyes and gently pushed her towards her room.

"Go to bed, Lu. We'll talk about you sneaking out of Tirian's room in the morning with Peter," Edmund threatened playfully.

"You wouldn't dare!" Lucy exclaimed. Edmund raised his eyebrows at her. Lucy rolled her eyes and walked back to her room, calling over her shoulder, "Goodnight, Edmund."

**AN Part 2: Yeah... I won't be locking myself away with my computer. I will be watching football all weekend... But, I will try to work some on the next chapter. I'm thinking there may only be a few more chapters left to go anyway, which I will be very happy about. I'm ready to get this story finished and get to the end! As always, I have this super great ending planned and can't wait to get to it (not bragging, I just always seem to plan the ending and get excited about it and think they're super great). **

**I also noticed while I was writing this chapter that I really enjoyed writing bad guys, more than the main characters. Maybe it's more fun to be bad... Thoughts?**

**Also, I'm fairly certain you guys will not like Tirian very much after this chapter. I deleted the scene where he mentions Susan a couple times, then added it back. I didn't really want him to say something THAT mean, but felt they needed to have a good rift between them. **


	25. Chapter 25

**AN: An update in less than 2 weeks? I bet you're all happy... reviews might make the next update come quicker! **

The next morning Lucy and Olyria silently made their way to the training grounds outside the castle. Lucy was still angry from her argument with Tirian, even more angry over the fact that he had been right. Why was she worried what her siblings would think? None of them were so innocent and had made mistakes in their pasts. Why should they judge her when she had not judged them? She was an adult, wasn't she? These questions had rolled around in her mind throughout the night and into the morning. Unfortunately, she couldn't come up with any answers for them. When they reached the training grounds she saw nearly a hundred soldiers, her brothers trying to organize them. Tirian, Robert and Eustace were also preparing to train, inspecting swords and other various weapons.

"Queen Lucy, there aren't very many of them," Olyria commented.

"No, there are not," Lucy said softly.

"Lucy!" Susan called, waving at her sister. She was at the archery field with several dozen archers. Lucy and Olyria walked across the field to them.

"Good! You're here!" Jill exclaimed, slinging her bow across her back and looping her arm through Lucy's.

"I heard you paid Tirian a visit last night!" she whispered excitedly.

"Jill! Where did you hear that?" Lucy exclaimed, quickly glancing to make sure no one had overheard. Jill laughed lightly.

"Georgiana told me that Edmund caught you coming from his room in the middle of the night," she explained. Lucy sighed and turned to Olyria.

"Why don't you go see if you can help Queen Georgiana," she suggested to the girl. Olyria nodded and, with a quick glance at Lucy, she trotted towards Georgie, who was sorting arrows. Lucy turned to Jill and placed her hands on her friend's shoulders.

"Listen to me Jill, nothing happened. Please don't tell anyone what you heard!" Lucy said. Jill frowned slightly.

"Lucy, do you really think no one else knows? We all know Edmund saw you in his room. What exactly were you doing in there?" she asked. Lucy dropped her arms and sighed.

"We had a fight. I was mad at him for acting as though this war will be won easily. We both know it won't be and I didn't understand why he wouldn't tell everyone else that," Lucy explained.

"Lucy, you have to understand something about Tirian: he's a great king. He looks out for others before he looks out for himself. Yes, he's rash at times, but he's a good man. He never does anything without having a reason for doing it," Jill said.

"I know. He explained his reasoning to me. That wasn't really what we fought about," Lucy said hesitantly.

"What did you fight about then?" Jill asked. Lucy glanced around again. Susan was talking with a man who seemed to be the captain of the archers. Georgie was showing Olyria how to hold a bow. Laira was idly brushing off a target while watching the soldiers across the training grounds, following Peter's every move. Lucy grabbed Jill's hand and pulled her aside.

"Can you keep a secret?" she asked softly. Jill nodded quickly. "Something happened between Tirian and I while we were in Thalasea," she started.

"You fell in love!" Jill squealed, grasping Lucy's hands excitedly.

"Shh!" Lucy hissed, jerking her hand from Jill's and putting one over her mouth. "I don't know exactly what happened between us. It was so brief, so fast, and then we were here. Things have been tense since we returned and I'm fairly certain it's all my fault. I've been so worried about what my brothers and sister would think about everything," Lucy said.

"You're worried about that? Lucy, do you not know your siblings at all? The only one of them I would be worried about would be Peter, and I think he's so wrapped up in love with Laira he probably wouldn't think twice. Edmund would be happy for you because he's so happy with Georgiana. And you've watched Susan relax over the years. She's hardly perfect anymore and has made many mistakes, all of which have made her a much better and more understanding person. They would understand if you fell in love. You deserve to be happy, Lucy. Stop thinking you don't," Jill said firmly.

"Lucy! Jill! We're ready!" Georgie called.

* * *

Lucy and the others practiced late into the afternoon. The Choran archers had been surprisingly talented; not quite up to Narnian standards, but Susan had approved. Laira had been the only one to not hit a target once.

"I never had any talent for archery, I'm afraid," she had said. Lucy now sat on the edge of the archery grounds watching Georgiana and Susan helping Laira in hopes that she could be of some use during the battle. Jill and Olyria were picking up the arrows that littered the grounds as the Choran archers returned to the castle.

"Perhaps Laira would be of better use on the field rather than back with the archers. She's bound to do more damage to them than help them," Lucy heard Peter chuckle behind her. She looked up to see her brother step next to her.

"Perhaps, but you would be so worried about keeping her safe on the field that you would probably end up getting hurt and then where would we be?" she teased as Peter sat next to her.

"You're probably right. Maybe when we get back to Narnia I can give her some private archery lessons," he sighed dramatically before grinning. Lucy rolled her eyes.

"You might as well not bother. You aren't much better than she is," Lucy teased.

"Hey!" Peter said indignantly. "I can at least hit the target." Lucy laughed.

"After about four or five tries," she said. Peter scowled playfully before joining in with his sister's laughter. "How did training go?" Lucy asked.

"I think it went well. The soldiers really aren't too bad, just very skittish. I think having their fellow soldiers killed has made them fearful of Erivin and this war, not that I blame them. I think seeing us working with them made them more confident, however. Robert and Eustace both surprised me; I didn't realize how talented they were, especially our cousin. And King Tirian! Why, he was nearly as good as Edmund and me!" Peter said.

"Yes, he's very well-trained," Lucy said softly, avoiding her brother's gaze.

"So I saw," Peter said suspiciously. Lucy glanced at him, worried from his tone of voice.

"Tell me, Lucy: did something happen between the two of you while you were in Thalasea?" Peter asked. Lucy sighed and nodded. She may have been able to hide things from Jill or Edmund or even herself, but she knew she couldn't lie to her oldest brother. "I thought as much. King Tirian kept staring over here at the archers and scowling. At first I thought maybe they weren't doing so well, but the more I watched him I noticed he scowled whenever you were helping one of the archers. I guessed he didn't like you touching them," Peter said, giving Lucy a stern glance. She blushed and rolled her eyes.

"He should have been focusing on working with the soldiers. You should have made him," Lucy said.

"You're right, I should have stopped him from staring at my little sister," Peter agreed. Lucy scowled at Peter.

"I'm not a little girl, Peter!" she exclaimed.

"Lu, don't you think I know that? I can still be protective of you, though. I know how Tirian feels about you. I've known probably longer than you have. But I also know how you are and I've seen how you've acted since we were sent to Aslan's Country. Just because you lost a man you thought you loved before doesn't mean you aren't allowed to fall in love again," Peter said gently.

"I was in love before," Lucy argued. Peter shook his head.

"No, Lucy, you weren't. You just thought that you were in love. Even though you were older then than you are now, you're much more of an adult now than you were then. You've changed this time around. I've noticed the way you look at King Tirian since we've been here. You never looked at your prince the way you look at him," Peter said.

"I thought you all would disapprove," Lucy admitted quietly.

"Why in Aslan's name would you think that? Lucy, we've never disapproved of anything you've ever done. Maybe not agreed with you, but you're our sister. Just as you've loved the people we have chosen to love, we'll love whomever you choose to love," Peter said, wrapping an arm around his sister and pulling her into a hug. Lucy wrapped her arms around her oldest brother and squeezed him tightly.

"Thank you, Peter," she whispered. When she pulled away she saw Tirian stride across the archery grounds to Olyria, scooping her up when he reached her. "What if he doesn't want me anymore though? I think I've made a complete mess of things," she said worriedly.

"Well, then Edmund and I will just have to beat him to a pulp until he decides to take you back," Peter said cheerfully, ruffling Lucy's hair. She slapped his hands away and laughed.

Lucy's laughter floated across the field to Tirian. He glanced up and saw her and Peter sitting, laughing together as she playfully slapped at him. Tirian smiled at them, nearly forgetting the fight he and Lucy had the night before.

"Such a happy family," a voice said from behind him. He turned and saw Princes Adria walking towards him. Olyria shifted in his arms. "I only wish my brother and I could find such happiness again," Princess Adria said wistfully.

"I'm sure one day you will," Tirian replied.

"Perhaps. I suppose one day I will marry and have a family of my own. Maybe then we can find happiness," she said.

"That seems like a good plan," Tirian agreed. Princess Adria smiled quickly and turned her attention to the girl in Tirian's arms.

"Olyria, our baker has just made a fresh batch of his delicious cookies and I wanted to tell you to go get some before my little scamp of a brother eats all of them," she said. Olyria glanced at Tirian, wary of the princess's offer.

"It's okay. Go with Jill and get some," he said, smiling and setting the girl on the ground.

"Thank you, Princess Adria," Olyria said politely before hurrying towards Jill. The two walked back towards the castle as Jill sent Tirian a warning glance over her shoulder. He caught his friend's glance, but shrugged it off when the princess stepped towards the archery targets.

"Are you as talented with a bow and arrow as the queens are?" she asked, circling the bulls-eye of the target.

"I'm afraid I am not, your highness. I never had the patience for it," he replied.

"A man of action, I presume?" she said, grinning slightly at him.

"I-Yes, I suppose you could say so," he stuttered. The princess's behavior was shocking to him. Women had acted this way to him before, but they had all been silly women of his court, not princesses of another world.

"My brother and I watched your training with our soldiers. I was very impressed with you Narnians; I had no idea you were all so talented. I hope you found our soldiers satisfactory, even though they are certainly not as well-trained and impressive as you are," Princess Adria said, stepping closer to Tirian.

"Yes, they were most satisfactory. They have much potential, I believe," Tirian replied a little nervously.

"King Tirian," he heard Peter call.

_Thank Aslan_, Tirian thought as he turned towards the voice. He saw Peter and Lucy walking towards him. Ignoring Peter's slightly amused face, he inwardly cringed at the mixture of hurt and anger on Lucy's. He knew she must have witnessed the princess's behavior towards him.

"Ah, King Peter, Queen Lucy! King Tirian and I were just discussing how talented you Narnians are," Princess Adria said, her flirtatious voice dropping instantly.

"What an exciting conversation that must have been," Lucy said snidely.

"Lucy," Peter warned, glancing sideways at his sister.

"Oh, it was, Queen Lucy! King Tirian was just complimenting our soldiers, which makes me very happy. I did have a purpose for coming down here, however. I came to tell you that all the arrangements are in order for your welcoming party and that I have had clothing sent up to each of your rooms for you to wear tonight!" Princess Adria said, oblivious to Lucy's sarcasm.

"That sounds very kind and generous of you, Princess Adria," Peter said, shooting Lucy a look to tell her to thank the princess as well.

"Yes, thank you. We are all looking forward to tonight," Lucy said, forcing herself to be kind.

"Princess Adria, may I escort you back to your castle? I believe my wife wanted to ask you a question about... your local dances," Peter said, searching for an excuse. The princess nodded and allowed Peter to lead her to the castle. When they were out of earshot Tirian turned quickly to Lucy.

"Lucy, please don't be angry with me," he started. She held up her hand to stop him.

"How could you flirt with her?" she asked. Tirian's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Flirt? I was hardly flirting with her," he retorted.

"Ha!" Lucy scoffed.

"That's it! What is wrong with you? Ever since we rejoined your family you've acted as though you've disliked me and I've had enough of it. Are you really that worried about what others may think? Do you really think so little of me?" Tirian shouted.

"Don't yell at me!" Lucy cried angrily.

"Then tell me what's going on in your head," Tirian demanded. Lucy felt all her anger leave her, her body feeling as though it had very little strength to fight any longer.

"I don't know what's wrong, Tirian. Things seemed so wonderful between us, however brief they were, when we were in Thalasea. It was as if I forgot every reason for being there other than to be with you. Then we came back and had a mission and I got so confused," Lucy explained. Tirian stepped towards her and placed a hand under her chin, lifting her face to look at him.

"Lucy, there's no reason to be confused anymore. Things can still be wonderful," he said softly.

"Can they?" she asked, stepping away from him.

"Lucy, don't..." he said, trailing off. She shook her head slightly and turned, running back to the castle as tears stung at her eyes. She heard Tirian call her name but ignored him, not stopping until she reached the safety of her room. Leaning against the closed door she collapsed to the floor, allowing the sobs she had been holding back overtake her.

* * *

That evening Lucy, wearing the dress Princess Adria had left for her, made her way to the castle's ballroom. Olyria had instantly made friends with King Patria and had left over an hour ago with him, happy to be with a person closer to her age. Susan and Robert had invited Lucy to walk with them to the party but she had declined, hoping if she went alone she could slip into the room unnoticed. To her relief the ballroom was crowded, hundreds of people eager to see the strange visitors from another world. She snuck inside behind a large man and woman, slipping behind them as she wove her way through the crowds until she saw Georgie.

"Georgiana!" she whispered loudly, tapping her sister-in-law on the shoulder. Georgie spun, her eyes widening when she saw Lucy.

"Where have you been? We've been waiting over an hour for you!" Georgie asked, her brow furrowing with concern.

"I'm sorry, it took me longer than I thought to get ready," Lucy quickly said, making an excuse for her lateness. Georgie cocked her head to the side.

"Tirian was asking for you moments ago. He's pretty worried about you," Georgie said, motioning towards Tirian who stood across the room. Lucy's eyes scanned to where Georgie pointed, narrowing when she saw Tirian. Princess Adria was draped on his arm, her head thrown back in laughter from something Tirian appeared to be saying.

"He certainly doesn't seem worried," Lucy said, pursing her lips.

"Lucy, don't be so hard on him. The man's in love with you," Georgie advised. Lucy's face relaxed.

"Do you think so?" she asked. Georgie laughed lightly.

"Of course! Now go over there and save him from that overly flirtatious princess," Georgie teased, pushing her gently towards Tirian.

Lucy weaved her way through the room, a plastered smile on her face hiding her nervousness. Tirian's relaxed face stiffened when he saw Lucy approach. The sudden change was not lost on the princess, who turned towards Lucy, a slight look of disappointment appearing on her face.

"Queen Lucy, I'm glad you finally made it! King Tirian was just telling me about your wonderful country," Princess Adria said in a forced cheerful voice.

"That's very kind of him," Lucy said softly, her gaze not leaving Tirian's face.

"Is something wrong Lucy?" Tirian asked.

"Can we dance?" Lucy asked.

"Of course. Please excuse me your highness," he said to the princess, setting his wine glass on a nearby table. He offered his arm to Lucy and led her to the floor, taking her into his arms as they began to slowly move to the music. They danced in silence, swirling with the other dancers as the music changed tempo.

"I never apologized for what I said about Queen Susan," Tirian said breaking the silence. Lucy shook her head, unable to meet his gaze.

"It's alright. You were right. None of my siblings have any reason to disapprove of me; they've all made their own mistakes in life," Lucy said.

"That's all that I meant and what I have been trying to tell you. I spoke to your brothers before the ball," Tirian said.

"Oh?" Lucy asked, her eyes flashing to his.

"I told them of my feelings for you," he answered.

"Don't you think you should have told them to me first?" Lucy commented as she fought a small smile. Tirian grinned.

"I plan on fully explaining them to you. Lucy, I told them I intend to ask for your hand in marriage," Tirian said quickly. Lucy gasped, coming quickly to a halt, her jaw dropping in surprise. "I-I hope that's alright," Tirian said nervously. Lucy felt a quick tug on the skirt of her dress.

"Queen Lucy?" Olyria asked. Lucy looked down at the girl. Her face was paler than normal.

"Olyria, are you alright?" Lucy asked, kneeling by the girl. Olyria shook her head.

"I don't feel well," she said. Lucy placed a hand on her forehead, a motion her own mother had done whenever she had felt poorly; Olyria's skin was cool to the touch, although somewhat clammy.

"Perhaps we should get you to bed," Lucy suggested, standing. Olyria nodded, her eyes bright with tears.

"I'll be back soon," Lucy said to Tirian as she took Olyria's hand in hers.

"I'll come. Let me help," Tirian said. Turning to the girl he crouched down beside her, wiping a small tear away and smiling gently at her. Olyria released Lucy's hand and wrapped her arms around Tirian's neck as he lifted her from the floor. Switching her to one arm, he took Lucy's hand in his free hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Come on, Queen Lucy. Let's get this little one to bed and then we can talk," he said, leading her from the room.

After they had tucked Olyria into the large bed in her and Lucy's room, Tirian walked out to the room's balcony as Lucy sat next to the girl, rubbing her back gently. Olyria soon fell asleep and, after placing a small kiss on her head, Lucy joined Tirian on the balcony.

"I forget that despite what I know she can do, Olyria's just a little girl," Tirian said as Lucy leaned next to him on the balcony's rail.

"I know, I do too. But then I remember and I feel like I shouldn't let her be the one who's supposed to stop Erivin, who's supposed to save this world," Lucy agreed.

"You love her, don't you?" Tirian asked. Lucy nodded. "We'll take care of her as much as we can. We won't let her get hurt," Tirian said firmly. The two were silent for several moments as they both stared at the moon, full and glowing in the night sky. The stars twinkled cheerfully and Lucy wondered if they were like the stars in Narnia, people who lived in the heavens. She smiled slightly at them, just in case.

"What are you smiling about?" Tirian asked having caught her smile. Lucy shook her head slightly and smiled at Tirian.

"I think I owe you an explanation," she said, her smile fading from her face.

"You don't," Tirian began.

"I do. I've been treating you terribly since we returned from Thalasea and you need to know what's been bothering me. I wasn't really sure until this afternoon when I left you at the archery fields, but something Jill and Peter both said to me earlier today helped me to realize what's been wrong. I'm scared," Lucy admitted. Tirian turned to her, taking her hand in his.

"Scared of what?" he asked, pushing a lock of her hair from her face.

"I thought I was in love before. I was engaged as you know and thought I was head over heels in love with him. I wasn't, I now realize that, but that's not the point. I was in love and then something bad happened and it was taken away from me. I guess deep down I'm scared that if I love you, something bad will happen and I won't have you," Lucy said.

"Lucy. Lucy, look at me," Tirian said, grasping her chin between his fingers and forcing him to look at her. "I love you. I've loved you since the day I met you. Nothing is going to change that and nothing is going to take me from you. You aren't going to lose me, I promise you that," he said.

"How do you know? How can you make that promise?" Lucy asked tearfully.

"Because I'm a king," Tirian replied, chuckling slightly as he closed the distance between them, pressing his lips to hers. Lucy felt her heart race excitedly as all her worries left her body. His kiss shot through her, making her toes curl happily as she wound her arms around him, pulling herself closer to him. His arms wrapped around her waist, tightening her body against his as their kiss deepened. He pulled away from her, kissing her jaw and whispering his love in her ear. She sighed happily with each admission and whispered, "I lo-" Her words were cut off by a loud whistling noise which grew louder as if something was nearing them.

"Watch out!" Tirian yelled. A explosion sounded next to them, stone and debris flying around them. Lucy screamed as she felt the world disappear beneath her as the balcony crumbled.

"Lucy!" Tirian cried as she fell. She felt his strong hand grasp her arm, leaving her dangling hundreds of feet in the air. He quickly pulled her back to the remaining part of the balcony, wrapping her tightly in his arms as he moved away from the blown away remains of the large balcony. Lucy turned her head away from him and saw several figures, some on horses, in the distance, their pale pink skin slightly glowing beneath the bright moonlight.

"Surrender the girl! Give her to me and I will call off the war!" a loud voice called.

"Erivin," Lucy heard Tirian growl. She pulled from his arms and screamed, "Never! You'll never get her!" Lucy heard his deep sinister laughter.

"Do not tempt me little queen," Erivin called back. Lucy gasped as a ball of blue started to form in his hand, growing bigger and bigger. She saw him raise his arm to throw it at them. "Inside!" Tirian yelled, pulling her away as the ball flew through the air at them. They fell into the room just as a second explosion hit the remaining part of the balcony, destroying it instantly.

A scream from the bed caught their attention. They turned to see two men attacking Olyria, one holding her arms while the other grasped at her legs. Tirian scrambled from the floor and drew his sword. Olyria kicked at the man holding her legs, managing to strike him in the chin. He dropped her and turned towards Tirian, grunting as the king's sword slid easily into his stomach. He crumbled to the ground at Tirian's feet, dead. Lucy pushed herself from the floor in time to see Olyria kick the second man, causing him to drop her to the floor as he knelt in pain. Before Tirian could reach him Olyria placed her hands on the man's neck.

"Olyria!" Lucy cried rushing to the girl. She quickly stopped when she saw the man's face; although Lucy could tell the girl was not squeezing him, the man seemed to be choking, gasping for air. In the dim light of the room Lucy saw his face change, growing paler and puffy, as water began to pour from his mouth. Olyria removed her hands from the man's neck. He fell over to the floor, his entire body stiff. The girl turned to Lucy, her face shocked and pale as her hands shook.

"Queen Lucy," she whimpered, stepping awkwardly towards Lucy. She quickly moved to the little girl, lifting her into her arms and hugging her tightly. Over Olyria's head Lucy exchanged a worried glance with Tirian. The three turned towards the open space where the balcony had been blown away, Erivin's words calling to them, "Your little tricks will not work on me, niece! I will destroy you just as I will destroy your new friends and your dear Madeli! Tritonia made a grave mistake when she sent you here!"

Lucy felt Olyria's hand tighten into a fist behind her neck and glanced at the girl. She gasped when she saw her face. Her eyes, which had always remained blue, turned deeper, tossing angrily like the sea.


	26. Chapter 26

Tirian, Lucy and Olyria burst into the ballroom, pushing past gasping guests as they searched for the other Narnians and King Patria.

"Lucy!" Edmund cried, grabbing his sister's arm as she rushed past him. He took in her disheveled appearance, her dress torn in several places and a few tiny cuts on her face from the destroyed balcony. "What happened to you?" he asked, glancing at Tirian's similar appearance.

"The castle was attacked. Erivin blew up my balcony while we were standing on it," Lucy explained. Edmund's face paled.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"We are. We need to find the others and explain in private," Tirian said glancing about the room.

"Edmund?" Georgie asked as she came up behind them, gasping when she saw Tirian and Lucy. "What happened?" she asked alarmed.

"Not now, G. Let's go find the others. Lucy, you three go wait in the hall. No one needs to see you looking like that," Edmund said. He grabbed Georgie's hand and began leading her through the crowd in search of the Narnians.

"Come on," Tirian said, taking Lucy's hand in his. Lucy glanced at Olyria, who Tirian carried, and gave the girl a weak smile as they started for the hall.

* * *

The other Narnians, King Patria and Princess Adria joined Tirian, Lucy and Olyria in the hall several moments later. Susan quickly rushed to her sister, inspecting her cuts and bruises. Lucy slapped her hands away and pursed her lips in frustration at her older sister.

"Susan, stop it! I'm fine and now isn't the time for your mothering!" she said impatiently.

"What happened to you three?" Peter asked as he stepped forward.

"Lucy and I were on the balcony of her room and suddenly there was a loud explosion. Before I knew it, half the balcony was gone, destroyed. Erivin was below with several others and he shouted to us to surrender Olyria and he would call off the war," Tirian began explaining, stopping when Olyria gave a small cry. He hugged her tightly to him, staring at Lucy over her head.

"I told him he would never get her and then the strangest thing happened. This ball of blue... well, I'm not quite sure what it was, but it began to grow out of his hand. He threw it at us, destroying the last of the balcony. We dove inside at the last minute and heard Olyria cry. Two men were trying to kidnap her; I could tell by their skin they were Thalasseans. Tirian killed one of them," Lucy said.

"What about the second one?" Edmund asked. Lucy and Tirian exchanged nervous glances.

"I killed him as well," Tirian said quickly, looking towards the others.

"Oh my," Princess Adria said softly as she sunk into a nearby chair.

"Princess?" Susan asked, staring curiously at the young woman.

"I was afraid of this. Strangers come from another world, supposedly here to help us, and now we've only angered him. Perhaps we should give him what he wants and save our people," she said.

"Adria!" King Patria cried.

"This is our way to stop him! If all he wants is the girl, then let him have her! It would spare our people and save our lives!" Princess Adria exclaimed, jumping up quickly.

"How dare you!" Lucy cried, stepping towards the princess.

"I dare because I am trying to save the people of Choras!" Princess Adria said.

"And I am trying to save my child!" Lucy exclaimed angrily, clenching her fists. She felt firm hands clamp down on her shoulders, pulling her back.

"Lucy, calm down," she heard Tirian say softly. Lucy turned and, fighting hot, angry tears that began to build in her eyes, buried her face in his chest. Tirian wrapped his arms around her hugging her tightly.

"Princess Adria, while I appreciate your desire to protect your people, we are not willing to sacrifice a child so that we may avoid an inevitable fight," he said firmly. The Narnians were silent, too surprised by the scene between Lucy and Tirian to speak. Robert found his voice first.

"I think we should continue working with the soldiers, helping them prepare for this battle. As King Tirian said, it is inevitable. I feel tonight is only a taste of what Erivin is capable of and we need to be ready to face him when the time comes," he said. Lucy glanced at her brother-in-law and smiled weakly.

"Robert is right. There is no sense in us even considering surrender. Olyria is under our protection; we are not giving her up. But for now, I say we get these three patched up and all turn in for the night. Tomorrow may be more difficult than we think," Susan said. Lucy pulled away from Tirian and stepped towards her sister.

"Thank you," she whispered, hugging Susan tightly.

"You're going to be a wonderful mother," Susan whispered back. Behind them they heard Eustace groan.

"Women," he muttered, causing the others to laugh.

"Georgiana, Jill, what do you say we take this little one to find a snack while Lucy and King Tirian clean up?" Laira asked cheerfully. Lucy glanced towards her sister-in-law and saw she now held Olyria. The girl's face brightened as she glanced towards Lucy.

"I'll see you in a little while," Lucy smiled warmly as the four set off towards the castle's kitchens.

"King Patria, we should discuss battle strategy and plans tonight," Peter suggested. The boy nodded.

"I agree, King Peter. I want to help," he said firmly.

"But you're too..." Princess Adria trailed off when her brother scowled at her.

"Princess, I know it's hard to accept, but your brother is king. He has to be a part of this. We all understand his youth, but we were his age when we fought our first battle. I swear to you we will work to keep him safe," Edmund promised. Princess Adria nodded.

"I'll just go see to our guests," she said tightly as she walked back into the ballroom.

"I'm sorry about my sister. She's scared. I hear her crying sometimes at night," King Patria said sadly.

"Rest assured, King Patria. We will stop this," Peter said, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder.

* * *

An hour later Lucy sat in Susan's room on a low seat in front of a mirrored table. Susan stood behind her, brushing her hair. "Exactly when were you planning on telling me that you were in love with King Tirian?" Susan asked.

"As if you didn't already know about us," Lucy said, scowling slightly at her sister's reflection. Susan laughed lightly.

"Of course I knew. How could I not when he asked us for your hand in marriage? What I want to know was when you were planning on telling me about it," she teased giving a lock of Lucy's hair a quick tug. Lucy grinned.

"I suppose as soon as I tell him," she replied. Susan stopped brushing and frowned at Lucy in the mirror.

"You haven't told him yet? Why not?" she asked. Lucy shrugged.

"I started to earlier, but we were interrupted by our near death experience," she said sarcastically.

"That's no excuse. You need to tell him how you feel so he'll know and you don't end up making my mistakes," Susan said softly as she set the brush on the table and sat next to Lucy.

"Susan, those mistakes are in the past. When are you going to let them go?" Lucy asked. Susan shook her head.

"Those mistakes are my past. They make up who I am, who I became," she said.

"But it turned out alright that you didn't end up with Caspian because you met Robert and you've never been happier. Your mistake of not telling Caspian you loved him turned out to be your path in life," Lucy argued. Susan smiled and placed her hand on the side of Lucy's head.

"Lu, that isn't the mistake I'm referring to. My mistakes in life have nothing to do with love or past loves; they're not telling those I love how I truly felt. My biggest mistake, my biggest regret in life is not telling you, Edmund and Peter how I felt when we were growing up. Keeping my thoughts and feelings about Narnia from you three did nothing but ruin our relationship and caused a rift between us. And then you three were gone before I could correct my mistake. Don't do that to Tirian or yourself; tell him how you feel, what you want. Don't wait until it's too late," Susan said. Lucy threw her arms around her sister, squeezing her tightly.

"Susan, there was never any rift. We never gave up hope that you would come back to us. Even death didn't kill that hope," she said.

"Ahem," a voice said from the door. The two women looked up and saw Robert standing in the doorway. "I hate to break up your sisterly bonding, but Tirian and Olyria are waiting on Lucy," he said, grinning at them. Susan squeezed Lucy's hand as they stood.

"Go. We'll see you in the morning," she said as Lucy walked to the door.

"Don't do anything your sister would do," Robert called as he wrapped his arms around Susan. Lucy giggled as she closed the door on Susan's outraged shriek.

* * *

Lucy stood in front of Tirian's door, her hand raised hesitantly to knock. Her mind was racing with thoughts of the events that had happened earlier, of Tirian's admission of his feelings, his discussion with her brothers, their kiss they shared on the balcony. Her heart began beating quickly as she remembered their kiss, the way her stomach had fluttered and swirled, the way her toes had curled in excitement from his touch. She thought of how it felt to hear him say he loved her and how much she had needed to say the same words to him. Steely determination overtook her as she prepared to tell him how she truly felt, how she genuinely loved him and wanted to be his.

"If you're planning on knocking in this decade, I wish you would hurry up so I can stop waiting on you," she heard Tirian call from behind the closed door. She gasped and covered her mouth, stifling a giggle that built in her throat. She knocked on the door which promptly opened. Tirian stood in the doorway, a lazy smile on his face.

"I'm not really a patient king," he teased as he reached for her hand, pulling her towards him.

"I'm very sorry for making you wait, your majesty," she said, giggling as he leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose.

"Please don't do it again," he murmured as he pressed his lips against hers, winding his arms around her waist. When he pulled away, Lucy swayed forward, breathless from the kiss.

"I'll try my hardest," she whispered, grinning at him. Tirian chuckled as he pressed a kiss against her forehead. "Where's Olyria?" Lucy asked, glancing around him into the room.

"Queen Laira and Queen Georgiana were supposed to bring her here. I suspect she's charming them into giving her a larger snack," Tirian said.

"We're not that easily tricked," Georgie laughed as she, Laira and Olyria walked up behind Lucy and Tirian.

"It was actually Georgiana here who tried to charm us into giving her a larger snack," Laira added. Georgie shrugged.

"What can I say? I'm eating for two now," she said, patting her enlarged stomach. The four adults laughed as Olyria smiled at them before yawning widely.

"I suspect we should be getting you to bed, Olyria," Lucy said, stroking the girl's hair.

"Jill said you both could sleep in her room since yours was destroyed," Laira said. Tirian shook his head.

"No, they're both sleeping in here," he said firmly.

"Tirian, we can't sleep in there. It wouldn't be proper," Lucy said, nervously glancing at Laira and Georgie. Georgie rolled her eyes at Lucy.

"For Aslan's sake, Lucy. Don't be such a prude. King Tirian is right. You need to be near someone who can protect you both," she said.

"But I don't want everyone to think-" Lucy began.

"No one will think anything, trust me. I slept in Edmund's room before we were married and all we had to risk was Susan's wrath if we didn't behave properly. Tirian has it worse; he has not only Susan's wrath, but both your brothers', Robert's and probably Eustace's and Jill's wrath if he tries anything ungentlemanly," Georgie said.

"Besides, you'll have Olyria sleeping in there as well. I doubt he would try anything with her in the room," Laira added.

"Will you three stop acting like I'm a lecherous old codger?" Tirian growled. The three women laughed.

"Lucy, I'm not letting either of you out of my sight tonight. Either you both sleep in here or I go wherever you go. If you want to sleep in Jill's room, fine; but I highly doubt she will appreciate all three of us in there," he said seriously. Lucy's grin faded as she stared into his worried eyes. He stepped closer to her and leaned next to her ear.

"It isn't as though we haven't slept in the same room before," he whispered. Lucy blushed.

"I think we should be going now," Georgie said, grabbing Laira's elbow as she began moving away.

"Goodnight," Laira called, glancing over her shoulder as she followed Georgie. Tirian took Olyria's hand and shook his head.

"How did we get mixed up with this bunch?" he asked. The girl laughed.

"I like them. I'm happy they're my family," she said, smiling at Lucy. Tirian looked at Lucy, giving her a slight grin and said, "I agree. I'm glad they are, too."

* * *

When Lucy woke the next morning, she felt an arm draped over her neck. Blinking against the morning light, she focused on the owner of the arm. Olyria was sleeping next to her, her legs and arms sprawled. Lucy grinned at the sleeping girl as she slowly slipped out of the bed. Stretching slightly she glanced around the room, momentarily forgetting where she was. Her eyes fell on Tirian who was sleeping in a wing chair, his feet propped on a small stool and his arms crossed over his chest. He still wore his clothes from the night before and his sword hung at his waist. Lucy smiled at his boyish, handsome features, the stubble from several days that grew on his face and the way his dark hair fell across his forehead.

_He's so different from the prince,_ Lucy thought. Her prince had been a boy, merely a puppy that was happy to follow her around. Tirian was stubborn and thoughtful, he was unafraid to argue with her and to be passionate and strong. _How could I have ever loved anyone unlike him?_ she thought as she quietly walked closer to him. She gently brushed a lock of his hair from his face as she leaned down and brushed her lips against his. She felt his hand move up her side, wrapping around her waist as he kissed her back. Quickly he tightened his grip and pulled her onto his lap. Lucy gasped against his lips, pulling away from him in surprise.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Tirian apologized, his eyes twinkling. Lucy smiled down at him and leaned forward, kissing him again. When she pulled back a second time, Tirian kept his eyes closed.

"I hope you're planning on waking me up like that every morning," he said quietly, grinning. Lucy felt her face fill with a pleasant heat and remained silent. "That is, of course, if we marry," Tirian said, opening one eye to look at her.

"Shouldn't you ask me first?" Lucy said softly.

"I thought it was implied last night that I will," Tirian said, opening his other eye and frowning. Lucy bit her bottom lip.

"Did you speak to the others last night about training today?" she asked, changing the subject. Tirian nodded as he lazily rubbed her back.

"We've decided to double the posts throughout the castle, keeping watch at all hours of the day and night. After breakfast we'll work with the soldiers again, keeping up the little training we've been able to offer them. The same will go for you and the archers. King Peter wants them to be our main offense; he hopes that if we can cut their numbers before they reach our holding we may stand a better chance," Tirian explained.

"Do you think he's right?" Lucy asked.

"Your brother is a great strategist, I trust his judgment completely. But I've seen what Erivin can do; we both have. I don't know if mere force is going to kill him," Tirian said. Lucy glanced at the bed and the sleeping girl in it.

"I'm truly afraid to find out what will," she whispered. Tirian took her chin gently in his hand, forcing her to look at him.

"Don't worry. Aslan knows what he's doing and so does Olyria. We can't stop whatever is coming and have to trust that Aslan will see us safely home. For now, let's just focus on this moment and our time together," he said, pulling her down to him.

They kissed deeply, Tirian burying his hands in Lucy's hair as she wound her arms around his neck, pressing her body close to his. Lucy felt the familiar fluttering in her stomach and the need to express her feelings nearly overwhelmed her. She began to pull away to tell Tirian, but his arms tightened around her, holding her close to him. He moved from her lips and began kissing down her jaw when the door suddenly flew open. Tirian quickly jumped up as Lucy fell from his lap, landing hard against the cold surface of the floor.

"Lucy!" Edmund shouted as he entered with his sword drawn, stopping suddenly when he saw them quickly break apart. Behind him Georgie giggled, peeping over his shoulder as she grinned at Lucy.

"Now you know how it feels to be constantly interrupted," she teased. Edmund sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand.

"For the love, G, not now!" he groaned. Georgie bit her lip to stop from giggling as she watched Tirian help Lucy from the floor. "What exactly is going on here? By the Mane, Lucy, the child is in here!" Edmund said irritably, gesturing to the bed where Olyria lay.

"She's asleep, Edmund," Lucy argued. A tiny giggle came from the bed. The four turned towards it to see the sheets quickly flying as Olyria covered herself completely. Tirian groaned as he rubbed his forehead.

"Edmund, what is it? Is there a reason you two came flying in here so early?" Lucy asked.

"There's been an attack. Several soldiers were wounded, nearly as many killed. We came to get you. This battle may happen sooner than we think," Edmund replied gravely.

**AN: Yes, I know it's been a while and yes, I know I left you with yet another cliffhanger... I've been putting it off because I thought there was really only one chapter left and I didn't want it to end! But then I realized that there needed to be a little more added, so I got inspired to write. I promise I won't make you wait as long for the next chapter! **


	27. Chapter 27

**AN #1: Longerish note below... **

Lucy followed Laira into the soldiers' quarters where the injured had been taken. Five soldiers lay on low cots, bloodied bandages wrapped around their heads and limbs. The other Narnians had gone to the throne room to meet with King Patria and the captain of the army to decide their next plan of action. Lucy had wanted to go with them, hoping that she could be part of the plans, but Peter had insisted she see to the wounded. Realizing he was right and that she would be of better help to them, she had agreed.

Lucy knelt beside one of the soldiers as a woman began dabbing a foul smelling liquid onto a large gash on his forehead. The soldier gasped from the sting of the liquid.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Lucy asked the man.

"We were keeping watch when this great light came towards us. The ground exploded and we were thrown backwards. These men came from no where, attacking us before we could find our footing. We few managed to flee, but the others weren't so lucky," the soldier explained, his face contorted in pain. Lucy grasped his hand and squeezed it tightly.

"Don't worry. We'll defeat the men who killed your friends," she promised.

_If only I had my cordial_, she thought wistfully, remembering how quickly she could heal the injured soldiers. She felt a sudden weight appear in the pocket of her dress, cool against her thigh. Staring curiously at her side she saw a small bulge. She reached carefully into her pocket and felt the smooth glass of a bottle. Pulling it out she gasped.

"Lucy?" Laira asked, kneeling beside her.

"It's my cordial," Lucy whispered, slowly inspecting the bottle filled with deep red liquid. It was filled to the top, the same as it had been when Father Christmas had given it to her so many years ago.

"Have you had that the whole time?" Laira asked. Lucy shook her head.

"I just wished that I had it and suddenly it was in my pocket," she explained.

"Aslan must have sent it. That's the only explanation," Laira concluded.

"I agree, but right now I don't care how it got there! We can save these men!" Lucy said excitedly as she turned to give the soldier in front of her a drop of the cordial.

* * *

Nearly an hour later the soldiers were resting as the cordial worked its magic on them. Lucy and Laira joined the others in the throne room, walking into a room of chaos.

"We need to strike now before they can strike us!" Peter said loudly.

"But he gave us three days. Shouldn't we use them?" Eustace asked.

"Pete, we have to be sure the soldiers are even ready to march to battle. We could be leading them to a slaughter," Edmund said.

"They won't be trained any better than they already are now, even if we worked with them continuously," Robert argued.

"I think we're forgetting that Erivin is going to continue to pick off any soldiers that remain on watch if we continue to wait. As much as I hate battles, I agree with Peter. We need to attack now," Susan said firmly.

"We need to formulate a battle plan though. We don't even have strategies planned," Jill said.

"We strike at dawn. His army will be waiting for us at the Field of Argan. We must be prepared to fight," a voice announced from behind them. The Narnians turned towards it, several gasping. Olyria sat at the foot of the throne, her eyes out of focus as she stared across the room. Her voice had changed from its childlike one to a deeper, melodic voice. It was familiar to Lucy, singing throughout the room.

_It's Tritonia's voice!_ her mind screamed as she recognized the voice. Lucy saw Olyria's eyes suddenly focus seconds before she slumped over to the floor.

"Olyria!" Lucy cried as she rushed to the girl, pulling her into her arms.

"What happened?" Olyria asked groggily as she slowly opened her eyes.

"I-I don't know," Lucy said, glancing at the others.

"Why did her voice change like that? Is that normal?" Eustace asked.

"I don't know," Lucy repeated.

"It's happened before," Jill said, glancing sharply at Eustace.

"Not like that," he pointed out.

"It was Queen Tritonia's voice, wasn't it?" Tirian asked, squatting next to Lucy and Olyria. Lucy nodded.

"The queen from Thalasea? Why would Olyria be speaking in her voice?" Peter asked.

"I don't know!" Lucy cried out in frustration.

"Regardless of who is telling us, we now know where Erivin's army will be. I say we follow the child's information and prepare for battle tomorrow at dawn," Robert said.

"But what if she's wrong?" Princess Adria asked quietly behind them. Lucy turned to the woman, furrowing her brow as she glared at her and said, "Then I suppose we'll have to take that chance."

* * *

Later in the morning Lucy stood at the archery grounds. She lifted her bow and knocked an arrow, aiming it towards the rough target that stood several yards in front of her. Feeling a gentle breeze whip at the loose tendrils of her hair, she adjusted her aim, taking the wind into consideration before releasing the string. The reassuring twang of the bow sounded in her ear as she watched the arrow fly towards the target, hitting it just directly left of the center.

"One would think with Narnia's greatest archer for a sister you would be able to do a little better," she heard Tirian tease. Lucy lowered her bow and turned, smiling slightly at him. "I was wondering where you went after we all left the throne room," he said, reaching for her bow.

"I needed to get away and think," she said. She handed Tirian the bow as he pulled an arrow from the ground where several had been driven in, sticking out of the grassy field like giant pins in a pin cushion.

"So you came to the archery grounds?" he asked, grinning at her sideways. Lucy shrugged.

"I thought I could get in some practice while I thought," she replied. Tirian turned towards the target and raised the bow, pulling back the string.

"So what were you thinking about?" he asked as he let it go. The arrow narrowly missed Lucy's, hitting the target a fraction to the right.

"Not bad," Lucy commented, ignoring Tirian's question.

"Thanks. Tell me what you were thinking," Tirian said, turning back to her. Lucy frowned before answering.

"I know I've always been one to have faith that Aslan is watching out for us and that he has a plan, but I can't help but wonder why we were brought here and why Olyria was sent with us. What great plan does he have for her? What is she needed for?" she asked. Tirian looked at her with concern and shook his head.

"That I can't say. Only she and Aslan know what she must do to defeat Erivin," Tirian replied.

"I think Erivin knows what she can do. Why else would he have been so angry she was here when we first met him or why would he have been willing to call off the war if we surrendered her? I feel like there's something we haven't been told, something Queen Tritonia, Thaliotari, even Aslan kept from us. Something that's going to take Olyria away," Lucy explained.

"I know," Tirian agreed softly. Lucy smiled slightly.

"Both the times I was in Narnia I wondered what it would be like to be a mother. My siblings really didn't like me thinking about children, but I did. I would imagine little Lucys running around, happy and sweet. I suppose it was silly of me. I spoke to Susan when we first arrived. She said it's the greatest thing to be a mother. She was right. This time I've spent with Olyria has been one of the happiest for me. I feel like I am her mother," Lucy admitted wistfully. Tirian sighed and set the bow on the ground next to the arrows.

"What is it?" Lucy asked, leaning her head to the side.

"We need to talk about something," he said, sitting on the ground and patting the grass next to him. Lucy sat, tucking her legs under her long skirt. "Thaliotari told me something the night we first visited him. I kept it from you at the time because I was unsure of your feelings for me or even mine for you. When I realized I loved you and that you love me, although you still have not told me, I knew that what he said was going to affect you much more than me," Tirian said.

"What do you mean? What would he tell you that would affect me?" Lucy asked worriedly. Tirian took her hand in his and squeezed it gently.

"Lucy, I want to marry you. There's no question about that. I want to give you everything you've ever wanted, but I can't give you children," he explained.

"How do you know that? You've never tried," Lucy asked, laughing nervously. Tirian frowned.

"I was the last king of Narnia, the last king or queen there will ever be. Thaliotari explained to me that I am not destined to continue the Narnian line; it was my destiny to be the end of it. I'll never have a son or daughter. Narnia is no longer in need of an heir," Tirian said.

"That doesn't make any sense! Edmund is a king of Narnia and he's going to have children. Susan is a queen of Narnia and she has two children! Why can't you have any?" Lucy cried.

"Lucy, I just explained to you why. I'm the end of the line for Narnia. I understand if this changes how you feel about me, although I hope it doesn't," Tirian said quietly.

"Queen Lucy!" Lucy heard Olyria cry behind her. She turned to look and saw the girl running towards her, Jill closely behind her. Lucy forced a smile as Olyria plopped to the ground beside her, a happy smile on her face as if a terrible battle was no where in sight.

"We've been looking for you," she said cheerfully as Jill caught up to them.

"Tirian, Peter wants to see you. He's not too happy you disappeared earlier," Jill warned, grinning at him and Lucy. Tirian rolled his eyes.

"Is that brother of yours ever happy about anything?" he chuckled.

"When he gets his way he is," Lucy teased.

"Come on Jill. Let's go see what the High King wants," Tirian said as he pushed himself from the ground, dropping a quick kiss on Lucy's head and ruffling Olyria's hair. Lucy watched the two walk back towards the castle, her smile slowly melting from her face.

"You're worried, aren't you Queen Lucy," Olyria stated, placing her small hand on Lucy's. She turned to the child and slowly nodded. "Why?" Olyria asked. Lucy sighed and stared across the field, its tall grass gently whipping in the breeze. The sun was high, brightly shining in the clear sky, casting warm glows over the land. It was peaceful, serene and beautiful. Lucy wondered what it would look like tomorrow, after the battle. Would the sun still shine and the grass still dance? Lucy feared for this world and the destruction its unwelcome visitors would ultimately cause it.

"Olyria, I feel like there's something you're not telling me. I know Aslan has explained what you must do to stop Erivin; I've accepted that and I don't expect you to tell me what he's told you. I know that's between you and him. But the things Erivin can do, the things you can do… I fear them. I just wish I understood what they meant," Lucy explained. Olyria sighed and frowned, her small faced scrunched in thought.

"My father, like Aslan, is very powerful. He knows magic deeper than any creature or being in any of his worlds. Tritonia and Erivin possess some of his power, the strength of the sea builds in them and they can release it, but only in times of great distress. That is why Tritonia tries so hard to control her anger. Erivin learned to control this power, to release it as his will in smaller, yet powerful, waves. That is what he used on your balcony and the soldiers. Since I was made from my father, not from the sea as Tritonia and Erivin were made, I possess greater powers, the power to control them and stop them," Olyria explained.

"That's what scares me. The last time we fought someone with that much power, many were lost, including ones who were dear to us," Lucy said sadly. She felt Olyria's hand tighten around hers.

"Queen Lucy, the ones we hold dear are never truly lost to us when they are gone," she said softly. Lucy looked at the girl. Her bright blue eyes had softened, aged and reflected wisdom Lucy had seen before, before when she had first looked into the eyes of a Lion.

**AN #2: Okay all you worry-warts... I'm not gonna short you any chapters, so stop your complaining! Only kidding! I can't say for sure how many chapters this story has left, but I'm not really ready to leave Narnia and the Pevensies and everyone else just yet. Before when I was writing Choosing Grace and Receiving Grace, I knew that I had plans to write another story so I didn't feel quite as sad about ending them. That's not to say that I wasn't sad... It was very hard to end them both, but this story seems even harder to end because that means it's THE end. Maybe I should write some smaller, one chapter type stories for them... haha! **

**I know this chapter is a little shorter, which I purposely did. I wanted a quick filler to explain a few things, add some new depth, etc. to the rest of the story. I also felt as though I was making Olyria into a cutesy little girl - which she definitely is in some ways - rather than the magical creature she is. Maybe creature isn't the right word... the jury's still out on exactly what she is! As I'm sure you all can guess there's going to be an upcoming battle scene. I'm really nervous about that one because I don't really know how to write it. I feel like I can see it in my head, and have really been thinking about it for a long while, but am not sure how to get it down on paper. Any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated - hopefully I'll do it some justice!**

**Also, finally, I wanted to let everyone know (in case you didn't know yet!) that there is a new Narnia trailer out for Voyage of the Dawn Treader! I found that out today and was uber-excited! Has anyone else seen it? Thanks again for all your support and reviews! Keep them coming; they make me write faster! **


	28. Chapter 28

Lucy stood in the middle of a great field, its rolling surface stretching empty for miles. The sun had slowly began to rise, casting a pink hue over the land as it broke through the horizon, chasing away the night sky. A cool breeze blew Lucy's hair, whipping strands across her face as she stared at the emptiness. She closed her eyes, listening to the silence. A dull roar came to her ears, low and deep, as if she might be imagining it. The roar turned to screams, clanging sounds of metal striking metal rang over the screams, and cries of helplessness began to fill her mind. She felt her skin grow clammy as her heart began to race in fear. The smell of death began to sting her nose, earthy and rancid. A single tear ran down her cheek as she opened her eyes, expecting to find the scene her senses had just experienced. Instead, she saw the still empty field, the dimly lit morning sky and felt the coolness of the air. Looking to her right she saw a large lion sitting calmly.

"Aslan?" she asked timidly.

"Dear one, the time has come for you to be braver than you have ever been," the Lion replied as he began walking towards her.

"I don't understand," Lucy said.

"I do not question your bravery when faced with danger. You have the ferociousness of a lioness. But now, you must call upon another type of bravery. You must be brave when faced with loss," Aslan warned in a deep and ominous voice.

"Loss? Are we meant to lose someone? Aslan, please tell me!" Lucy pleaded, burying her face in his mane.

"Dear one, you must rise and be a leader, be the queen I made you to be," the Lion said, slowly backing away from Lucy.

"Aslan, don't leave me!" she cried, her eyes filling with tears as he slowly disappeared into a shimmering light.

Lucy's eyes opened quickly, her heart thundering in her chest as she awoke. Moonlight shone in from the windows, casting shadows about the room. She looked to her left and saw Olyria sleeping, her pale blonde hair half covering her face as her eyelashes fluttered gently against her skin. Lucy sat up and gently brushed her hair from her face, leaning down and placing a small kiss on the girl's cheek. Olyria stirred slightly, rolling to her side, her back to Lucy, as she kicked the cover away from her. Lucy smiled, inwardly laughing at the girl she had began to consider her daughter.

She turned to where Tirian slept, biting her lip to keep from laughing aloud at his sprawled position. He had slept in the room's chair again, his right foot propped on a low ottoman in front of him. The left foot rested on the floor, his arms haplessly lying on the chair's arms. His head, which leaned against the side of the chair, was leaning backwards; Lucy feared it might pain him when he woke. Drawing her knees to her chest Lucy thought of her dream, the cries she had heard and the death she had smelled. There had been many battles in her past, some she had been in, some she had only witnessed from afar. None of them had felt as gruesome as the one from her dream. She had never felt so hopeless, so helpless.

They had spent several hours earlier discussing battle strategies, formulating plans for their strike at dawn. She and her siblings had fought as they always did, disagreeing with each other's ideas. They had compared the battle to ones they had fought in the past, pointing out failures and successes of them. Lucy laughed quietly to herself. _It's as if nothing ever changed, as if we were still children_, she thought.

Lucy looked up and stared at Tirian, remembering their discussion from earlier. His words, "I can't give you children" repeated in her head. He had spoken them as though they were a death sentence. A lifetime ago, hearing those words would have been a death sentence for Lucy. When she had been engaged before she had looked forward to children, wanted them to love and adore. But now, with Tirian, it didn't matter if she wouldn't have children. She would have nieces and nephews to love. _And Olyria_. Lucy glanced at the sleeping girl beside her. _Once all of this is over, she'll come home with us. I'll be her mother,_ she thought. She would marry Tirian if he asked and they would be a family, living happily together in Aslan's Country_. And I'll tell him I love him. Today. No matter what,_ she thought as she snuggled back beneath the covers, hoping to get a few more hours of sleep before dawn.

* * *

Tirian, Lucy and Olyria met the others in the armory several hours later. It was before dawn, the sky still filled with the last remaining stars. Peter and Robert were fitting the last pieces of their armor on as Susan and Laira filled quivers with arrows. Both women wore mail shirts and fitted leather vests over their dresses. Eustace was helping Jill put on a mail shirt, her hair seeming to be caught in the links. Edmund and Georgie were in the far corner of the room, quietly talking.

"Lucy, King Tirian, hurry and get ready," Peter said as he slid his sword into its scabbard. Susan handed Lucy a mail shirt and leather vest, smiling slightly at her. Lucy slid the shirt over her dress, her shoulders slumping from the weight of it. It had been a long time since she had worn such an item and had forgotten how cumbersome it was. Slipping her arms into the vest, she silently laced it up as she watched Tirian begin to put on his own armor.

"I don't care, Edmund!" Georgie cried. The Narnians quickly turned towards the sound.

"G, be reasonable," Edmund began loudly.

"No! I'm not going to stay here and wait! I'm needed! Everyone else seems to realize that; why can't you?" Georgie cried.

"I realize that, sweetheart, but I don't want you to get hurt," Edmund pleaded.

"So you'd rather I not help and risk someone else getting hurt? Edmund, you can't be that selfish!" Georgie exclaimed. She turned from him and grabbed one of the quivers of arrows, slinging it across her back with her bow as she stormed out of the armory. Susan sighed deeply and strapped her own quiver across her back.

"Edmund now is not the time for this," she said softly as she headed after Georgie. "Lucy, Laira, Jill," they heard Susan call from outside.

"Let's go," Laira said reluctantly as she picked up the remaining quivers. With a quick kiss to Peter's cheek she dutifully followed after Susan, Jill close behind her having finally freed her hair from her mail shirt. Lucy glanced at Tirian, casting him a fearful look. He grinned at her, his smile making Lucy's heart race.

"Don't worry. Everything will be fine," he said.

"Come on, Queen Lucy! Let's go!" Olyria said, pulling on Lucy's hand. With a final glance at her brothers, Lucy turned and left the armory.

Lucy and Olyria caught up to the other women moments later. The Choran archers were lined up, ready to march to battle. "Lucy, you and Jill will go with the first group of archers to the center hill. Georgiana and Laira will go to the west with the second group and I will take the east with the third," Susan explained when Lucy arrived.

"Why don't you take the center? You're a much better shot than we are," Lucy argued. Susan shook her head.

"It's not a matter of who is better. You've led archers before. You've both been in battle. The rest of us haven't. Once we make our initial stance, we'll combine our groups and fire as one," Susan explained.

"You're going to lead all of us," Laira said.

"You're majesty, the kings are coming with the troops," the captain of the archers announced as he pointed towards the castle. Through the dull morning light Lucy saw her brothers, Robert, Eustace and Tirian riding from the castle, the Choran soldiers marching behind them. As they neared, the troops halted and the Narnians dismounted.

"Have you explained the plans for the archers, Susan?" Peter asked.

"I have. We all know our positions and Lucy knows what she must do," she answered. Peter turned to his youngest sister.

"You can do this Lucy?" he asked quietly. Lucy squared her shoulders.

"I have before," she replied confidently. Peter grinned.

"I just wanted to check. You'll wait for my signal before your initial fire. Your eyes need to only be on me. If for some reason you can't see me or I can't signal, you look to Tirian. Georgiana, you'll look for Edmund's signal for your group to fire; Susan, look for Robert's. Once the enemy is close enough, we'll take it from there," Peter explained.

"King Peter, it's nearly dawn. The soldiers are ready to march," King Patria said as he rode up on a dark horse. Peter nodded to the young king before turning back to the Narnians.

"I suppose it's time. Ladies, you will ride with us. Captain," he called to the captain of the archers.

"Yes, your majesty?" the captain answered, stepping forth and bowing at the waist. "You know your men's positions. Follow until we reach the divide before the field. From there we will separate and the queens will take their positions," Peter said.

"Yes, your majesty," the captain said before turning to the archers, calling out orders. Lucy felt Tirian take her hand into his as he pulled her aside.

"Will you be okay doing this, leading the archers?" he asked softly.

"I've done it before," Lucy started.

"That isn't what I meant. I know you're capable of doing it. I want to know if you'll be okay," he said. Lucy glanced back to her family as they walked to the horses.

"What if I fail?" she asked. Tirian shook his head.

"Don't fail," he said firmly, giving her hand a tight squeeze.

"Lucy, come on," Peter called. Tirian and Lucy walked back to the horses. He mounted his and leaned down, holding out his arm to Lucy. She grasped it tightly and swung herself onto the horse, settling behind him. The captain lifted Olyria and placed her in front of Tirian.

"We will see you soon little princess," he said jovially. Olyria smiled at him and shook her head.

"I'm not a princess, Captain," she said. Lucy saw Tirian lean towards the girl and heard him whisper, "Queen Lucy and I say you are." Lucy smiled as she wrapped her arms around Tirian's waist, squeezing him slightly to show him she had heard what he said.

"Let's go," Peter called as he nudged his horse forward into an easy canter.

* * *

As they reached the Field of Argan the soldiers began to split four ways. The archers followed the Narnians to the hills that overlooked the wide field while the remaining soldiers marched onwards. Robert and Susan led their group to the eastern hill. The sky had lightened significantly since they had left the castle, casting long shadows from the archers over the hill. Robert dismounted when they reached the top of the hill, turning to help Susan from the horse. She placed her hands on his shoulder as she swung her leg over, gracefully stepping on the ground. Robert kept his hands on her waist, holding her near him.

"I hate to leave you alone up here," he said quietly. His eyes shifted to the archers behind them as they began to line up along the hill.

"I'm not alone. I have twenty men to keep me company," Susan teased, her eyes smiling at him. He looked back to her, smirking at her joke before leaning down and kissing her deeply and pulling her tightly against him. When he broke away, he whispered in her ear, "Just in case you forgot how nice my company was." Susan, breathless from the kiss, shook her head.

"I don't think I could ever forget that," she whispered back. Robert chuckled as he pulled away and turned to the captain of the archers.

"Captain, you'll look after my wife. Make sure she's protected in case of the worst," he said sternly.

"Of course, your majesty. The queen's safety will be our first priority," he agreed.

"Robert, I'll be fine," Susan argued.

"I know, love," he said as he wrapped his arm around her waist. They walked to the edge of the hill.

"What do you think Edward and Lillie are doing now?" Susan asked.

"Hopefully not giving Diggory and Polly trouble," Robert chuckled. Susan smiled lightly.

"Do you think we'll return to them if something happens to us here?" she asked. Robert turned to her, his brow furrowed.

"I thought you didn't have doubts about that," he stated.

"I don't. I know we'll go to Aslan's Country if we die. I just wonder if we'll be different somehow," she explained.

"Love, Alsan wouldn't allow that to happen. He'll watch out for us," Robert said firmly, hugging her close to him. Below Susan saw a tall red flag wave. "There's Peter's signal. I need to go," Robert sighed. Susan followed him back to his horse. Giving him a final hug, she stepped back and watched as he mounted the horse.

"I'm beginning to wish we had that horn of yours," he said, smiling down at her.

"Why? Afraid you may need to call me if you get in trouble?" she asked, giving him a quick wink.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you. Be careful," she replied. Robert kicked the horse lightly as he trotted away from her and the archers. Without turning from him she called, "Archers! To your stations!"

* * *

"G, I'm just saying that I don't think you should be out in front like this," Edmund said as he helped Georgie from his horse.

"And who would you have lead the group of archers? Laira?" Georgie asked sarcastically.

"Hey, don't bring me into your argument," Laira said warningly.

"Let's give these two some privacy," Peter said, shooting a glare at Edmund. When Peter and Laira were out of earshot Georgie turned to Edmund.

"Why are you so against me being here? Do you think I can't handle this? That I can't lead them?" she asked. Edmund sighed.

"Sweetheart, you know that isn't it. I know you can handle this and of course I believe you can lead them," he started.

"Then what is it?" Georgie asked in exasperation. "What would I do if something happened to you? To our child? How could I live with myself without you?" he asked, taking her face in his hands. Georgie felt the anger and tension drain from her body and turned her head slightly, placing a kiss on Edmund's palm.

"Nothing will happen to me. You'll never have to live without me. Nothing will keep us apart, not even death, remember?" she asked softly.

"I know," Edmund said. He dropped his hands from her face and pulled her into his arms. "I'm just scared."

"Do you think I'm not? Edmund, I've never been more afraid in my entire life. How am I going to be able to watch you down there, fighting and risking your life?" Georgie asked. Edmund began to chuckle deeply.

"What's so funny?" Georgie asked, leaning away from him.

"I distinctly remember saying to you once that I wished we could have no more adventures or disturbances and just grow old together. Do you think that will ever get to happen?" he asked, grinning at her.

"With our family? I sincerely doubt it," Georgie laughed.

"Well, then I say for our baby's sake, let's have the decency to stay home next time and make Professor Diggory and Aunt Polly go on the adventure. I'm ready to stay at home with my wife," Edmund said, giving Georgie a wink. She rolled her eyes and pulled away from him.

"You'd better enjoy it now. In a few months you may be longing for a new adventure," she teased.

"I see you two have made up," Laira called from behind them.

"Don't we always?" Georgie said, laughing.

"You forget, Laira, that G doesn't have a hot-headed stubborn mule for a husband," Edmund teased, slapping Peter on the shoulder. Peter shot his brother an aggravated look. Laira caught Peter's glare and laughed.

"Now, now, boys. This isn't the time for one of your squabbles," she teased.

"She's right. I'll take care of you when we get home," Peter threatened.

"I'd like to see you try," Edmund laughed. Sighing, Peter leaned down and kissed Laira's forehead.

"We have to go. Remember what I told you and be careful," he said softly.

"You too," Laira replied.

"Come on, Ed. Kiss Georgiana goodbye and let's go. The others will be waiting," he said as he walked to his horse.

"Well, I guess you heard what the High King said," Edmund said, pulling Georgie into his arms.

"You do have to obey him," she teased as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Chuckling slightly Edmund leaned down and kissed her goodbye. "Don't try to be a hero. Just take care of your self," Georgie whispered as she hugged him tightly.

"That goes double for you," he replied. Georgie pulled away, a small tear appearing in the corner of her eye.

"Hey, none of that, remember?" Edmund whispered, wiping the tear way.

"Hurry back to me," she said softly.

"As fast as I can," he replied. He turned from her and walked to where Peter was waiting and mounted his horse. Laira stood next to Georgie and wrapped her arm around her shoulders.

"Everything will be fine," she said, giving Georgie a gentle squeeze.

"I think so too," Georgie replied. "What did Peter tell you to remember?" Laira grinned at Georgie and leaned towards her ear. A slow grin grew on Georgie's face as Laira whispered to her.

"We're going to win," Georgie said excitedly before calling to the archers to take their places.

* * *

Tirian handed Olyria to Eustace before dismounting and helping Lucy down. "When do you think they'll be here?" Jill asked.

"I suspect any moment now. It's nearly dawn," Tirian replied. Lucy felt Olyria take her hand.

"Queen Lucy, what can I do?" she asked.

"You will be as far away from all of this as possible," Tirian replied firmly.

"Tirian," Lucy started.

"No, Lucy. The more I think on it, the harder it is for me to leave you and Jill here to lead the archers. It's even harder letting a little girl be here for this," he said. Lucy placed her hand on Tirian's arm.

"You have to trust that things will be alright, that we have to trust Aslan knows what he's doing. Weren't you the one who told me that?" she stated. Tirian pulled Lucy into a tight hug and kissed her on the top of her head.

"Tirian, there's Peter's flag," Eustace said, pointing below to the field. Tirian pulled away from Lucy and turned to Olyria.

"You'll stay out of trouble, won't you little princess?" he teased as he picked her up and gave her a hug.

"We'll keep her safe," Lucy promised. Tirian set the girl down and, with a final smile at Lucy, he walked to his horse. Lucy glanced at her cousin who shuffled his feet in the grass sheepishly.

"I'll see you, Pole," he said, giving Jill a slight smile.

"Be careful," she replied wistfully, looking as though she wanted to say more. Eustace nodded and turned towards his horse. As he lifted his foot to the stirrup, Jill called, "Wait!" Eustace turned as Jill hurried to him, kissing him smartly on the lips. When she pulled back, Eustace's eyes were wide in surprise.

"Bye," Jill said as she turned back to Lucy and Olyria, both wearing equally astonished faces. The three watched as Tirian and Eustace rode to join the other Narnians.

"Exactly what was that about?" Lucy asked teasingly as they walked back to the archers.

"Oh, be quiet," Jill muttered, her face reddening.

Lucy took her place at the front of the archers who lined behind her, keeping an eye on the horizon. Just as Olyria had foretold, Erivin and the Thalaseans began marching towards them at dawn. The sun began to light the sky behind the army, casting long shadows in front of them creating an ominous look. Their numbers were greater than she had imagined, hundreds of men marching forward in rows that seemed never ending. Lucy looked to the Choran soldiers below and quickly found Peter in front of the soldiers, his red flag flapping in the wind. Tirian was next to him, his sword drawn for battle. Glancing to her left she saw Georgie and Laira standing on top of the western hill; to her right was Susan, her bow poised in front of her.

"Archers, make ready!" she called behind her. Lucy kept a steady eye on the Thalaseans as they marched forward, nearing the Chorans. "Jill, keep your eye on Tirian for me," Lucy said softly, her eyes never leaving Peter's flag. She lifted her bow and pulled the arrow back as she waited for Peter's signal. A flash of armor below caught her eye. Her eyes darted quickly to the left of Peter and saw Tirian turned towards her. She caught his smile and returned it before looking back to her brother.

From across the field a strange trumpet sounded and the Thalaseans began to charge. "Archers, take your aim!" Lucy cried as she aimed her bow towards the rushing army. Below, Peter dropped his flag forward, signaling to Lucy. "Fire!" Lucy shouted as she released her arrow.

The sky was suddenly filled with dozens of arrows flying towards the Thalaseans. From the corner of her eye she saw a second flash of red. Robert's signal, she thought as she pulled a second arrow from her quiver. Susan's group of archers fired on the army, filling the sky again, soon followed by Georgie's group's arrows. The arrows struck the Thalaseans, dozens falling to the ground.

"Take your aim!" Lucy cried again as Peter lifted his flag, shouting "Fire!" as he signaled once more. This time their arrows struck more of the soldiers, who had neared the Chorans. Lucy held her breath as she watched Peter signal for the Chorans to charge. The scene below seemed to move slowly, time slowing down as the two armies charged towards each other. Lucy quickly shut her eyes as they collided, the sounds of metal clashing against metal ringing in her ears.

"Lucy, we have to regroup!" Jill cried, shaking Lucy's arm. Lucy opened her eyes and waved to Susan and Georgie, signaling them to bring their groups in.

* * *

The battle raged below for nearly an hour. The Choran archers moved closer, firing on the Thalaseans as they could before joining in the battle. Half a dozen stayed with the Narnian women and Olyria on the hill.

"We're being destroyed!" Georgie exclaimed nervously as her eyes frantically searched the fray below. Lucy spotted Edmund and pointed him out to her. Georgie shuddered as he took a man's head off before dodging a narrow attack. Lucy's eyes searched the battle, looking for the rest of her family and Tirian. A bright flash of blue caught her attention and her head shot up. Seated on a tall dark horse was Erivin. She could see the maniacal smile on his face as he threw the ball of blue light towards the battle, the earth exploding as soldiers fell away.

"No!" a small cry came from beside her. Lucy looked down and saw Olyria standing, her fists clenched in anger.

"What is it?" Lucy asked.

"King Tirian!" the girl answered, pointing. Lucy scanned the place where Olyria had pointed and gasped. Tirian was fighting with a man twice his size. The man brought his large sword down to Tirian, who deftly dodged it and swung towards the man. The man knocked Tirian's sword away and swiped at him. Tirian fell to the ground grabbing his midsection. Lucy's heart raced as she watched him fall, unaware that a blood-curdling scream escaped her lips.


	29. Chapter 29

**AN: First of all... I'm sorry for taking so so soooo long to write this chapter. Real life has caught up with me and I haven't had a moment to do much of anything. Hopefully you all are still wanting to read this and I promise I WILL finish this story! Actually, it's nearly finished so it would be sort of silly to NOT finish it. Secondly, I hope you all will excuse any mistakes in here. I wanted to go ahead and give you guys this chapter since I made you wait so long. Hopefully there won't be very many - but I'm sure once I go back and reread this there will probably be a few! Finally, I just want to say that I've really missed you all and hope everyone will leave a nice, happy review and accept my apology for taking so long to give you this chapter! Anyway... go read! Glad to be back!**

* * *

"Your majesty, no!" Lucy heard a voice yell behind her as she ran down the hill towards the battle. As she entered it she dodged the fighting soldiers, jumping over the bodies that littered the ground as she made her way to Tirian. Spying a forgotten sword sticking out of a fallen soldier she grabbed it, yanking it away from the body and continuing to push through.

"Lucy, stop!" Susan cried behind her. Ignoring her sister she swung the sword in front of her, knocking a Thalasean away. Lucy's eyes widened when several feet in front of her she saw Tirian lying on the ground, still grasping his midsection. The large man he had been fighting stood over him, his sword poised to strike.

"No!" Lucy screamed. The man looked up when an arrow suddenly protruded from his neck. He slumped forward, landing on his knees before falling to the side. Lucy quickly turned and saw Susan standing behind her, her bow still aimed.

"Go!" Susan exclaimed as she nocked another arrow, ready to fire. Lucy spun towards Tirian and ran to him, throwing herself at his side when she had reached him.

"Tirian, I'm here," she said softly.

"Get out of here! You'll get yourself killed!" Tirian groaned as Lucy gently lifted his head and put it in her lap. She pulled off his helmet and smoothed back his hair.

"I have my cordial. I'll make it better," she said, pulling the small glass bottle from her pocket. Opening it, she poured a single drop into his mouth. "There, that should do it," she said triumphantly as she placed the stopper back in the bottle. Tirian closed his eyes in pain.

"Sweetheart, I don't think it's working," he said.

"But it has to! It's supposed to help everything!" Lucy cried.

"Maybe not this time. Maybe it's not supposed to work for me," he said, reaching up and wiping a tear from Lucy's face.

"What are you saying? Tirian, I can't lose you! I haven't told you I love you!" Lucy exclaimed. She leaned down and touched her lips to his forehead.

"Tell me now," Tirian whispered.

"I love you. I love you more than anything, more than anyone, more than everything. I want to say it over and over and over for the rest of our lives," Lucy said. Tirian closed his eyes and began breathing laboriously. "No! Tirian, don't leave me! You're supposed to stay with me; you're supposed to ask me to marry you! You said you would!" Lucy cried, taking his face in her hands.

"Just for argument's sake," Tirian began, keeping his eyes closed, taking a shallow breath before continuing, "Let's say that I did ask you to marry me. What do you think your answer would be?"

"It would be yes. Of course it would be yes. Stay with me, ask me, let me tell you yes!" Lucy said urgently as she placed kisses between words on his face.

"I'll never leave you. I love you," Tirian said softly as he pulled Lucy to his lips, kissing her gently. She felt him pull away and opened her eyes, leaning back in shock as she saw him disappear, hundreds of tiny golden lights appearing where his body had been.

"Lucy!" she heard Susan scream. Through a haze of tears Lucy saw a man standing over her, his sword raised to strike. She quickly grabbed her forgotten sword and thrust it upwards, stabbing the man in the stomach. He fell to the ground just as his sword came down beside her. Lucy felt Susan grab her arm and pull her up.

"Let's get out of here!" she cried as she pulled her away from where Tirian had disappeared. A flash of gold appeared before her eyes.

"Olyria, stop this instant! Come back here!" she heard Jill cry. Lucy looked towards where the flash had gone and saw the small girl, weaving through the battle.

"No! I can't lose her too!" Lucy cried as she pulled out of Susan's arms. She grabbed Jill roughly. "How could you let her get away from you?" she exclaimed angrily before pushing her aside.

"Something's happening to Georgiana! Olyria said something about stopping all of this," she heard Jill cry behind her. Lucy turned back towards her, tears running down her face.

"Find Edmund. I have to get her back!" she said before rushing away.

Lucy pushed to the edge of the battlefield where she saw Erivin seated on his dark horse, an evil gleam in his eyes as he surveyed the ongoing battle. Her eyes widened as she saw Olyria run towards him, suddenly stopping several feet from him.

"Olyria, no!" Lucy cried as she rushed towards the girl.

"Stay back," Olyria said calmly, raising her hand toward Lucy, her eyes never leaving Erivin. Lucy felt a wave of power push her back, knocking her to the ground. Breathlessly she watched as Olyria stepped towards Erivin, a calm look on her young face.

"So I see you've decided to stop hiding," Erivin sneered.

"Stop this madness, Erivin. Release the Thalasseans you've put under your control. Let them return to our world and leave this one in peace," Olyria said loudly. Erivin laughed, his maniacal voice ringing out.

"You foolish little girl. Do you really think you can defeat me when Tritonia could not?" he asked as he dismounted.

"Tritonia held back, a mistake I never make," Olyria said, her voice becoming deeper, angrier.

"No!" Lucy screamed, scrambling to her feet as she saw a ball of blue energy begin to build in Erivin's right hand.

"Stop," Olyria said quietly, holding her hand to Lucy again, this time looking at her. Lucy felt herself paralyzed, unable to move from the spot she was in. Erivin snickered.

"Powerful little witch. Pity her power will soon be gone," he said as he swung his arm, the energy flying towards Olyria. She raised her hand, casually waving the energy away. It dissipated in the air, the bright blue light quickly flickering out. Lucy watched in horror as Erivin raised both hands and created a second ball of blue, this one much larger than the first. It shot through the air, faster than Lucy could see. Again, Olyria waved it away. Erivin's face darkened in frustration.

"I see you've learned some new tricks," he growled.

"I see you still have not learned the true magic of our world," Olyria replied calmly.

"True magic? I am the true magic!" Erivin yelled, sending multiple balls of energy towards Olyria. She held up her hands as if to catch them, the energy disappearing as it reached them.

"Give up, let there be peace again," she pleaded earnestly.

"No!" Erivin shouted as he drew his sword, raising it to strike the girl. Olyria quickly raised her hands above her head, spreading them apart as if she was opening a curtain. Lucy gasped as she saw a circle of sea-green water form above them, lowering to the ground as it encircled them. The water churned and foamed, creating a barrier around the two as bright flashes of blue and green struck under the water's surface. Lucy suddenly felt herself able to move, the force of the release nearly knocking her to the ground.

"No, no, no!" Lucy cried as she rushed towards the wall of water. A strong hand grabbed her arm, stopping her suddenly. "Let me go!" Lucy shouted, struggling to move.

"Lucy, stop! You can't do anything," she heard Robert say as he held her tightly. A loud explosion sounded from the water, spraying mists from its surface. The wall of water fell to the ground, disappearing as suddenly as it had formed. The ground surrounding where it had been was dry as if it had never been there. Left it its wake was Erivin, lying motionless on the ground.

"Olyria!" Lucy screamed, lurching forward and pulling herself from Robert's grasp. The girl had disappeared with the water. "Where is she?" she cried as she ran towards Erivin.

"She's gone, Lucy. We have to get out of here!" Robert yelled as he wrapped his arm around Lucy's waist and pulled her away.

"I can't leave without her! I have to protect her!" Lucy screamed as she struggled against him. She heard him sigh deeply as he yanked her into his arms and ran. Lucy sobbed against her brother-in-law's chest as he pushed through the waning battle.

"What happened?" she heard Susan ask. Lucy pulled her head away from Robert's chest as he set her on the ground.

"She's gone, he's gone. I lost them," she sobbed. Susan quickly pulled her sister into her arms, hugging her tightly as Lucy cried.

* * *

"People of Choras, today we are safe from the threat of invaders. Thanks to our visitors, the Narnians, we can sleep in peace once again," King Patria announced. An eruption of cheers rang through the large ballroom, the excited Chorans cheering for the Narnians and their victory.

Lucy stood in the far corner of the room, behind the crowd, as she watched her family smile and wave to the room. She took a sip from her wine glass, wincing slightly as the tart liquid ran down her sore throat. She had spent the better half of the day crying, only managing to drag herself from her room at the insistence of Peter. Their victory had been hollow in her mind, losing more than they had won. The remainder of the battle had seemed like a million years ago. Lucy was pulled out of her daze by the sudden sound of music beginning to play. She glanced up and saw a swirl of colors through her tear-laden eyes. _How can they celebrate like this after all we lost today?_ she thought as she took another sip of her wine.

"Lucy, are you okay?" Georgie asked, placing her hand on Lucy's shoulder. Lucy swallowed hard and nodded quickly. Georgie sighed.

"Are you alright?" Lucy asked, remembering the trouble Georgie had during the battle. Georgie smiled.

"I am. The stress of the battle was just a little too much for the baby," she replied. Lucy found a slight giggle and shook her head.

"I'm a little surprised Edmund let you come down here after that. I don't think I've ever seen him so scared in his life as he was when he found out something was wrong," she said.

"He wanted me to stay in bed, which I probably should have, but I wanted to come down for a while," Georgie said, smiling across the room to Edmund, who waved at her. Lucy caught the interaction and sighed. Georgie glanced at her young sister-in-law's downtrodden face and wrapped her arm around her shoulders.

"Lucy, I know how you feel. When I found out Edmund and you had been lost at sea, I could hardly find the strength to go on. I wanted to die, too. You four were my family and Edmund was my future. It was devastating to know that in one moment my entire future was gone," Georgie began.

"But your future wasn't gone. You found Edmund again," Lucy argued. Georgie smiled slightly.

"So what does that say to you about your future?" she asked. Lucy leaned her head on Georgie's shoulder and said, "I wish I knew."

* * *

Hours later Lucy walked slowly to her room. Her entire body felt heavy with exhaustion and defeat. Scenes from earlier played over again in her mind. Watching Tirian disappear into a million tiny lights, the sight of Olyria disappearing behind a wall of water - they soon became too much for her to bear. She drew in a shaky breath, struggling to fight the tears welling in her eyes, as she reached her door. As she slowly turned the door she imagined the happy sight she wished awaited her, Olyria smiling happily, Tirian welcoming her with a kiss. These were images she knew she would never see again.

She stepped into the dark room, moonlight pouring through the window casting deep shadows throughout the room. Lucy walked to the chair where Tirian had slept and ran her hands over the arm of it, remembering their last night together as she had watched him sleep. His tunic he had worn in Thalasea was draped over the arm of the chair haphazardly. She picked it up and hugged it close, his smell still lingering on the soft fabric. A single tear escaped from her eye and rolled down her cheek.

"Why did you leave me?" she whispered as she closed her eyes. Lucy sat in the chair and leaned her head against the side of it as sobs began to wrack her body. Sleep slowly came upon her as she tossed fitfully in the chair. Her dreams haunted her, remnants of Tirian's smile and Olyria's laughter floating through her mind.

The sound of waves crashing rang in her ears, growing louder with every second until they were nearly deafening. Her eyes popped open and quickly squinted against a strange blue glow that filled the room. Lucy felt the presence of another in the room and turned quickly in the chair, gasping at the figure that stood next to her bed.

"Queen Tritonia!" she cried in surprise.

"Hello, Queen Lucy," the queen replied sadly.

"How are you here?" Lucy asked as she stood.

"The same way you are. Magic," Queen Tritonia replied.

"Did you know this would happen?" Lucy asked.

"Did I know what would happen?" Queen Tritonia asked, leaning her head to the side.

"Olyria, Erivin, their powers. Did you know about them? Their fates?" she asked, her anger growing. Queen Tritonia shook her head slightly.

"I knew of the possibilities, the possible outcomes. I knew what could happen," she replied.

"She's gone. I don't know what happened," Lucy said sadly.

"What happened was meant to happen. Olyria's death was meant to be. I prepared myself for the day when it would happen, although I knew not when. I do apologize for keeping this from you; Thaliotari thought it would be easier for you if you did not know,," Queen Tritonia explained.

"Well it's not! I loved her!" Lucy cried angrily.

"Dear Queen Lucy, I know. I did, too, more than you can imagine. It took all I had to let her go, but I did, for the greater good," Queen Tritonia said soothingly as she placed her hands on Lucy's shoulders.

"Some greater good," Lucy muttered. Queen Tritonia sighed and dropped her hands.

"In time I know you'll see the good Olyria did. In time your pain will ease," she said.

"Queen Tritonia, why are you here?" Lucy asked, hoping to change the subject.

"I came to take my people home. They should be with their families," she replied. Lucy pressed her lips together before replying.

"They're in the dungeon. I'll take you there," she said as she turned to the door.

Lucy led Queen Tritonia through the castle to the dark dungeon. Torches lit the walls, casting long shadows as the two women passed them. When they reached the cell where the Thalasseans were locked Queen Tritonia stepped towards the thick wooden door and placed her hand above the lock. Lucy heard the distinct click of it unlocking. The door slowly creaked open as Queen Tritonia pushed it and stepped inside. Lucy followed her, stopping in the doorway. She watched as the Thalasseans greeted their queen, bowing low before her as she placed her hand on their shoulders.

"I am sorry for the horrible crimes of my brother and for the burden he had placed on you. While I cannot pardon his actions I grieve for my loss as well as for the loss of our fellow countrymen," she said, her voice laced with sadness.

"Will we return to Thalasea, my lady?" one of the soldiers asked timidly.

"That we will. You will all return to our home and to your families. No repercussions will await you," Queen Tritonia replied kindly.

"How will you return?" Lucy asked. Queen Tritonia turned to Lucy and smiled.

"We will return by the same magic that brought me here," she explained. Lucy smiled sadly at her.

"I wish I could borrow a little of that magic so I could go home. I don't know how much longer we're meant to be here," she said. Queen Tritonia stepped forward and placed her hand on Lucy's cheek.

"You will return when the time is right. Your life is only at its beginning. Our lives are like the sea, ebbing and flowing as they continue on eternally. Do not fret, dear Queen Lucy," she said gently. Lucy blinked back tears as she nodded against the queen's hand before quickly throwing her arms around the woman's neck, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"Thank you, Lucy, for taking care of my Olyria," Queen Tritonia replied softly as she gave Lucy a final squeeze before pulling away.

"I know we'll meet again," she said as she stood next to the other Thalasseans. Lucy stared in awe as they slowly disappeared behind a blue shimmering haze. The smell of salty sea air stung her nostrils as the haze grew brighter. In a blinding flash the Thalasseans were gone, nothing left but the salty air that hung in the room. Lucy stared into the room a moment longer before slowly turning from the cell and walking back to her bedroom.

Lucy turned the corner of the hall that led to her room. Leaning against her door was Peter, his arms crossed loosely over his chest. She hid an inward smile at the nervous look on his face, knowing he was slightly unsure how to proceed once he began talking. Her brother had always had a confident air, always seeming to know exactly what to say at exactly the right time. She had always admired that about him. _Of course, when it comes to consoling us, he's usually pretty flustered,_ she thought. Peter's brow furrowed as she neared.

"Where have you been?" he asked.

"I needed some air," Lucy replied quickly, unsure about telling her oldest brother that the Thalassean prisoners were gone.

"I see. Are you okay?" he asked concernedly. Lucy nodded.

"I will be. Where's Laira?" she asked. Peter grinned and shook his head.

"She's a bit, ah… Out of commission," he said sheepishly.

"Too much wine?" Lucy suggested, giggling. Peter chuckled with her.

"Not exactly," he replied. A moment of silence passed between the two siblings.

"Did you…" Lucy began as Peter said, "When you…" The two laughed at their collided sentences.

"You first," Peter offered.

"I was going to ask if you needed anything," Lucy said.

"Oh, well not really, I suppose. I wanted to check on you and see if you were okay. I know today has been pretty rough for you," Peter explained.

"Yes, it has," Lucy said softly, the lightness she had begun to feel disappearing.

"Lu, I think I know how you feel. I know I haven't lost a child, but I can't help but think you probably feel similar to how I felt when Edmund wrote me and spoke of your run in with the pirates all those years ago while sailing with Caspian. Just imagining losing you hurt more than I've ever hurt in my life. But to lose a child, to lose one you love… Lucy, I honestly believe you must be the bravest woman I have ever known. I wish I had your strength," Peter said. Lucy gave her brother a small smile.

"I wish I felt stronger. It's just so hard to believe she's gone. If only Tirian were here maybe I wouldn't feel so weak alone with this," Lucy admitted. Peter placed his hand on his sister's shoulder and gave her a small squeeze.

"Lucy, you're never alone. Your family is always here whenever you need any of us," he said firmly. Lucy laughed softly and hugged Peter.

"I know. Thank you," she whispered.

* * *

Lucy woke to the sound of two women talking in hushed voices. She opened her eyes slightly, squinting at the bright morning sun that shone through her window. Susan and Jill were in the far corner of her room putting her few belongings into a small bag.

"What are you two doing?" she croaked, her voice thick with sleep.

"Oh!" Jill exclaimed in surprise, spinning quickly towards Lucy. Susan rolled her eyes at the younger girl's theatrics and smiled at her sister.

"It's time to go home. We wanted to let you sleep in a little before we left," she explained.

"We know how tired you must be from losing Tirian and Olyria – ouch Susan!" Jill cried as Susan elbowed her sharply in the side. Susan shot her a dirty look. Lucy laughed loudly at her sister and cousin, her first laugh in what felt like an eternity. The two women stopped their scowling and smiled at Lucy, happy that although she had suffered a painful loss her cheerful spirit was still a part of her.

"There's hot water behind the dressing screen as well as some breakfast and tea on the bedside table. We'll leave you to get dressed and see you in the throne room in a bit," Susan said as she ushered Jill out. Lucy watched them leave and close the door gently behind them. Leaning over she took one of the biscuits from a small plate set on her bedside table. She leaned back against her pillows and nibbled on it, a few crumbs falling into her lap. Sighing she brushed the crumbs away and closed her eyes. _Home,_ she thought._ Home will make everything right._

An hour later, Lucy stood outside the tall doors to the throne room. The hot water from her bath and clean clothes had refreshed her. Her heart, however, had begun to grow heavier. She was happy to be going home but felt as though she was leaving Tirian and Olyria, abandoning them and her memories. Her brow furrowed as she heard laughter from behind the doors. _Why is it so easy for them to laugh after all we've been through?_ she thought.

A low rumbling laugh caught her ears; it was as unhumanlike as it was familiar. Lucy's heart leapt as she pushed open the door to the throne room. Standing in the center of the room, surrounded by her family, was Aslan, golden and magnificent as always. "Aslan!" Lucy cried as she rushed to the Lion. She threw herself at him, hugging him tightly and burying herself in his mane. Tears began flowing down her face even as a comforting warmth began to fill her.

"Oh Aslan, I've failed everyone. Tirian's gone, I let Olyria die; I feel so hopeless," she softly wailed.

"Dear one, you've failed no one," Alsan said comfortingly.

"I promised Thaliotari and Queen Tritonia I would watch after Olyria. All I did was let her leave," Lucy argued as she pulled away from the Lion. Aslan shook his head.

"What happened was always meant to happen. Olyria knew it, Thaliotari and Queen Tritonia knew it, and, I suspect, deep down you knew it. You watched over the child as best as you could, giving her comfort when she was away from her family, love when she needed it most, and a mother and friend she grew to love. You've failed no one, Queen Lucy. It is time you believe that," Aslan explained gently.

"Olyria loved me?" Lucy whispered.

"More than any child could love her mother," Aslan replied.

"Lucy, I think it's time to go," Peter said as he placed his hands on her shoulders.

"That it is, High King," Aslan chuckled.

"Do you really have to leave right now?" King Patria asked wistfully.

"Don't worry King Patria. I know you will be a great king. Just rule your country with fairness and honesty and Choras will once again flourish," Peter advised. King Patria nodded as he stuck out his hand which Peter firmly grasped.

"Thank you, King Peter. It's been a great honor to have you all here," King Patria said. Lucy smiled at the change that had taken place in the young king. He had begun to remind her of Peter and how he had been when they first became kings and queens of Narnia.

"Queen Lucy?" Princess Adria said softly next to her. Lucy turned to the woman.

"I want to apologize for how I behaved towards you. I should not have acted the way I did with King Tirian nor doubted the girl," she apologized. Lucy smiled and shook her head.

"Don't worry about it. All is forgiven," she said.

"Come. It is time to leave," Aslan said deeply. Lucy walked to her family and stood with them. She shut her eyes as she felt Aslan's warm breath wash over her. A sudden tug came over her and the world instantly disappeared from her her feet, returning as quickly as it had left. When she opened her eyes she saw Cair Paravel standing tall and proud before her, her home for the rest of eternity. A slow smile grew on her face. _Tirian's waiting for me_, she thought.

* * *

Lucy walked along the beach, the hem of her dress damp from the water that licked her feet as the tide came in. It was morning in Narnia. The cool air swirled around her as she walked, chilling her slightly. She had woke early before the others, needing to be alone with her disappointment. When they had returned to Narnia she had rushed into the castle calling out for Tirian. She had searched every room, hoping he would be waiting for her. He was not. There was no sign in any room, including his bedchamber, that he had set foot in the castle since they had left for Choras.

The night had been filled with varying emotions; sadness, initially, over losing him. Anger followed quickly followed by guilt and then numbness. She had been so certain that he would return home, to Cair Paravel, and would wait for her with open arms. "I would have done that," she muttered.

She stopped and turned towards the water. It stretched out forever, the rising sun peeking over its horizon, lighting the sky slightly with hazes of blues and oranges. A gust of wind blew causing her to shiver against the chill.

"Exactly what made you think to come out here without a cloak?" she heard a man chuckle. Gasping, Lucy turned to the voice.

Tirian was walking to her, handsome and wonderful as he had ever been, a wide smile on his face as he approached. She picked up her dress and ran to him, slipping slightly in the cool sand. When she reached him she threw herself in his arms, hugging him tightly. Tirian wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her to him. Moving a hand under her chin, he lifted her face to his and lowered his lips to hers, kissing her gently. Lucy threaded her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. Tirian's fingers ran through her hair as he pulled back. He kissed her nose, her cheeks, along her jawline. Lucy kept her eyes closed and let the wave of happiness and love she felt overtake her as he kissed her. Her emotions began to escalate and happiness was soon replaced with irrational anger. She pulled away from him, her eyes narrowing as she caught his surprised face.

"Lucy?" he asked confusedly.

"Where have you been?" she shouted, slapping away his hand that reached for her.

"What?" he asked.

"You left me! I was absolutely miserable and then Olyria was gone and you were gone and I was alone! I came home and you weren't there and I thought... I don't know what I thought but you weren't here!" she cried, her words beginning to run together. Tirian smiled slightly before pulling her into his arms, gently rubbing her back as he tried to comfort her.

"Sweetheart, I never meant to leave you. I couldn't stop it, however," he began.

"But where were you? Why weren't you here when I returned?" she asked softly. Tirian chuckled.

"I had no idea when you would return. The idea of sitting in our home waiting for you didn't sit well with me. When I left Choras I appeared at Cair Paravel; Aslan was waiting for me. I begged him to let me return, knowing good and well that I couldn't sit here and wait while you were left in the midst of a battle. He obviously would not return me to Choras so I went to visit my parents at King Frank's. That's where I've been, distracting myself from being alone without you," Tirian explained.

"I needed you. I needed you so much it hurt. When Olyria was gone, I couldn't bear it. The others tried to help but I needed you," Lucy said.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry," Tirian said soothingly.

"What are we going to do without her?" Lucy whispered. Tirian took a deep breath.

"I suppose we'll grieve a little bit, support each other and continue on as we were. We both knew this would happen even though neither of us really wanted to admit we knew. But I will tell you one thing we'll do," he began, lifting Lucy's face to his again.

"What's that?" she asked, catching a twinkle in Tirian's blue eyes. "

You did say you would marry me. I distinctly remember you saying yes," he grinned. Lucy's brow furrowed playfully.

"That's not quite the way I remember it. Perhaps your memories are a little hazy. You were dying on a battlefield," she stated. Tirian chuckled as he leaned down and kissed her.

"Remind me then. What did I actually say?" he asked between kisses.

"The way I remember it, you only asked me hypothetically," she giggled.

"Well, please accept my apologies for not asking you properly. I was, as you pointed out, dying on a battlefield," he said.

"I accept your apology, King Tirian. You have the forgiveness of Queen Lucy the Valiant," she said teasingly.

"Thank goodness for that," Tirian said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. He and Lucy grinned at each other, a moment of silence passing between them.

"Well, I suppose that since I'm finally not dying on a battlefield, I should do this properly," he said as he reached into his tunic. He pulled out a small leather pouch and opened it, pulling out a ring. Lucy gasped as he knelt in front of her. She noticed his hand slightly trembled, as did hers, as he reached for her left hand and took it in his.

"Lucy, I love you. I think I've loved you since the first moment I saw you. Despite all we've been through, despite all the challenges, it's all made us stronger because we've been together. I want you to be my wife just as much as I want to be your husband. Will you-" he started.

"Yes!" Lucy cried, interrupting him excitedly. Tirian squinted up at her, smiling slightly.

"Will you let me finish?" he asked.

"Oops, sorry," Lucy said sheepishly.

"Will you marry me?" Tirian asked.

"Yes! Of course yes," Lucy answered.


	30. Epilogue

**AN: Slight forewarning... The following chapter is slightly PG-13... Well, actually, not really. More like slightly suggestive PG. In a good way, of course. It's all in good taste, however. Also, a longer-ish Author's Note follows the chapter which I hope you read!**

Lucy stood in front of the doors of the Great Hall. The smell of the lilies she held tightly in her hands tickled her nose. Her body was trembling with excitement as she closed her eyes. Images floated through her mind as she pictured the scene that lay behind the large double doors. She had imagined the scene thousands of times for the good portion of her life._ All three times,_ she thought as a small smile appeared on her face.

The room was always draped in soft yellow flowers which created an airy glow about the room. Her closest friends waited for her, their eager heads turned towards the door as they waited in anticipation of her entrance. The soft exotic sound of the singing Peacocks floated through her head. She had always wanted them to sing at her wedding, regardless of her sister's objections. _Although she wasn't nearly as difficult this time around with the wedding plans_, Lucy though, giggling to herself. Lucy had given up the idea of having dancing satyrs leading her down the aisle, finally admitting the foolishness of it.

Her favorite scene of all finally appeared in her head. At the front of the room, seated in their glistening marble thrones, were her siblings. Their shining crowns shone as did their smiles. They had always been her rock, her comfort when she needed it. They were a strong part of her just as she was a part of them. Peter had always been her hero, the person she looked up to most. He had protected her, defended her, disciplined her, and comforted her. Her oldest brother was more than just that; he had been a mentor, friend and king.

Susan was different. While she had been a wonderful older sister to Lucy, full of wisdom and guidance, Lucy felt a kinship to Susan that was stronger than sisterhood. Though they had their share of fights and disagreements, from the day that the two girls had followed Aslan to the stone table Lucy knew that their bond had been strengthened, never to be severed. Susan was more than just a sister and fellow queen of Narnia to Lucy; she was her very best friend.

Edmund had been a slight thorn in her side for as long as she could remember. He was a constant pest, teasing her mercilessly whenever she had a clumsy moment. He was also the best brother a girl could ever ask for. He was adventurous and funny, kind and considerate. She knew she could always count on him to cheer her up or help her out of a scrape.

Her smile slightly widened as she imagined her siblings faces staring at her as she walked into the room. All the things she felt for her siblings and all the things they were to her were about to change. Her oldest brother no longer needed to be her protector, even though she knew he always would be. Susan, whose bond was irreplaceable, would not longer be her only best friend. And Edmund wouldn't be the only one anymore who would tease her and cheer her up.

Lucy's heart began to race excitedly as the final image came into focus, one she had imagined more times than she had ever thought possible. But this time was different. No longer was the man waiting for her at the end of the aisle the young prince of Terebinthia whom she had imagined herself in love with nor was it the blurred figure that she had been seeing in recent years. In her mind was Tirian, standing tall and proud, happier and more handsome than she had ever seen him. His golden crown gleamed from the sunlight pouring in the room, his blue eyes shone with love and excitement. He looked every bit the king he was. Giddiness overtook Lucy as she realized that the king was about to become her husband. He would be hers as she would be his. They would have the rest of eternity to love each other and to enjoy each other. Nothing would ever separate them. "Ever," Lucy whispered as she ran her finger along the ring he had given her.

Her eyes popped open, blinking a few times as she heard the sound of trumpets blaring from the other side of the door. Her heart raced so fast she feared it might pop out of her chest. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves she readied herself to enter the Great Hall. From the other side she heard the Peacocks begin their song as the doors opened. Hundreds of her very dearest Narnian friends stood and turned to watch her enter. The room was just as she had imagined only more magnificent. Her siblings were seated in their thrones on the dais, surrounded by the rest of her family.

She began walking slowly down the aisle, her face nearly sore from smiling so happily. She saw Tirian step forward as she neared the end of the aisle, the sight of him causing her breath to catch. Lucy linked her arm in his as they stepped towards the dais. Tirian leaned down to her and whispered, "Are you ready?" She looked at him, her eyes shining with happiness, and said, "All my life."

* * *

Hours later Tirian and Lucy said their goodbyes to their guests and made their way to their new suite in the castle. Their reception had been grand, wine flowing and music playing long into the night. Lucy and Tirian had danced the Narnian dances near into exhaustion until Susan slyly pointed out they might want to save some of their energy. The new couple had both blushed furiously as their family laughed merrily. As they neared their new suite, Lucy began to grow a bit nervous. Her walk slowed until Tirian was forced to stop and turn to her.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Laira was in charge of decorating our suite, wasn't she?" Lucy asked. Tirian raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Yes, I suppose she was. The suite was her and Peter's gift to us. Why do you ask?" Tirian asked.

"Oh, I hope Peter managed to rein in her decorating skills," Lucy moaned. Tirian laughed loudly and kissed the top of her head.

"Perhaps you could try to not focus on the dismal décor of the room and instead put some of that attention towards your new husband?" he teased. Lucy smiled.

"I'll try my hardest, just so long as you promise to show some attention to your new wife," she said playfully. Tirian's eyes widened as he chuckled.

"Whatever happened to you being the young blushing bride?" he laughed.

"Tirian, I have three married older siblings who are all very affectionate with their spouses. I've been queen of a rather large country at two different times, three if you include this time around. I'm hardly what you could call a young blushing bride," Lucy joked. Tirian drew her into his arms and kissed her gently.

"That may be, sweetheart, but until you met me you had never even been kissed. That hardly makes you an expert. Why, it doesn't even make you a novice," he said softly. Lucy felt her stomach lurch happily as she stared into his eyes.

"Maybe... we could work on making me an expert," she said shyly. Tirian's eyes smoldered. He leaned down and kissed her deeply, drawing her into his arms and carrying her to their room, never breaking the kiss. When they reached the suite, Lucy reached back, fumbling for the handle on the door as she continued to kiss her new husband. When she finally grasped it she turned it and Tirian kicked open the door. He carried her in, setting her gently on the floor as he pulled away.

"Welcome home, Queen Lucy," he whispered.

"It feels good to finally be here, King Tirian," she said softly, standing on her toes to kiss him. When she pulled back her brow furrowed.

"What is it?" he asked as he ran his thumb over her wrinkled forehead.

"I just thought of something. You don't have a last name," she said. Tirian stared at her incredulously.

"What in the name of Aslan does that have to do with anything?" he asked. Lucy wrapped her arms around him and replied, "Well my brothers' wives are 'Mrs. Pevensie' and Susan is 'Mrs. St. James.' What am I? I'm Mrs. No-Last-Name." Tirian threw back his head and laughed.

"I can see why that would present a problem, but the way I've always seen it, why be a Mr. when you can be a king?" he chuckled. Lucy laughed with him and leaned her head on his chest.

"I suppose you are right. Last name or no, I'm still your wife," she said. She felt Tirian's arms tighten around her.

"I can't tell you how wonderful it makes me feel to hear that. But if it would make you feel any better, I would gladly be 'Mr. Pevensie' for you," he teased. Lucy opened her mouth to reply when a tiny cry came from the bedroom. "What in the world?" Tirian said as he leaned away from Lucy.

The two walked to the room. Tirian pushed Lucy behind him as he slowly opened the door, his hand reaching to the small gold-handled knife he wore at his waist. The room was filled with the scent of flowers and aglow from dozens of flickering candles. Lucy peeked over Tirian's shoulder and saw movement on the bed. A second cry came from it followed by a happy gurgle.

"It's a baby!" Lucy cried as she slunk around Tirian and rushed to the bed. Laying in the middle of it was a baby, happily waving its arms and feet.

"Where did it come from?" Tirian asked softly as he stood next to Lucy. Her eyes widened as she examined the baby closer. It was wrapped in a familiar cloth, colored like the sea. As the baby moved the material shimmered in the light as if it were water itself. The baby's hair was pale, the beginnings of tender curls starting to form. It was the baby's eyes, however, that captivated Lucy. They were wide and bright, shining clear and blue. Eyes that reflected wisdom and power. Eyes nearly as old as the sea itself.

"It's Olyria," Lucy whispered.

"What?" Tirian asked as he turned his head quickly to his wife.

"Olyria," Lucy whispered as she climbed on the bed, picking up the small baby and cuddling her close to her. Tirian walked to the other side of the bed and sat next to Lucy, drawing her into his arms.

"It is her. It's really her," he said softly as he rubbed his finger over the baby's cheek. Her tiny hand grasped his finger. "How do you think she got here?" he asked.

"I don't care. She's here. She's ours," Lucy whispered excitedly. The two sat silently for several long moments, watching in awe of baby Olyria. Lucy suddenly sat up causing Olyria to cry out.

"Lucy?" Tirian asked as he took Olyria from her.

"I have to tell Jill! Then I have to find a nurse and we have to find her a nursery and new clothes! I should go find Caspian's wife! She'll know what to do. And Susan! Susan should know," Lucy chattered excitedly as she scurried from the bed and rushed to the door.

"Lucy, sweetheart, that can wait. What about our wedding-" The slamming of their suite door cut him off. "Night," he said softly as he leaned back on the pillows. Olyria lay on his drawn up knees as she grasped at her foot. "You, little princess, have made your mother and me very happy," he said softly, leaning down to kiss his new daughter on the forehead. She gurgled happily and smiled. He chuckled and said, "Although, finding you a nurse is going to be my top priority otherwise I might never get a moment with your mother."

* * *

"Your baby sister sure knows how to throw a party," Laira called from behind the changing screen.

"All too well I'm afraid," Peter replied. He stretched out on their large bed and tucked his hands behind his head. His head was slightly swimming from the wine he had drank at Lucy's reception. He closed his eyes, hoping to steady himself.

"It's a little hard to believe Lucy's married now," Laira said as she stepped out from behind the screen. She walked to her vanity and picked up her hairbrush, running in through her hair. Peter groaned at her words.

"Please, don't remind me. I'm still having trouble remembering that she's not a little girl," he said as he opened his eyes. He smiled at the sight of his wife brushing her hair, standing in front of the window in her long white nightgown. _She always seems to forget I can see straight through the fabric when she stands there,_ he thought, grinning slightly at her. Laira caught the look and lowered her hairbrush, giggling at her husband.

"I don't forget, darling," she teased, sensing his thoughts.

"Come to bed," Peter said, patting the spot beside him. Laira placed her hairbrush on the vanity and climbed into the bed, curling up next to Peter.

"I do love happy endings. I always knew Tirian was meant for Lucy," she admitted happily. Peter chuckled and placed a small kiss on her temple.

"I admit, I thought so, too. From the first time we met Tirian I knew he was in love with my sister. He was such a little puppy around her, hanging on her every word. I half felt sorry for the man at first; the way he acted I figured Lucy would have had him wrapped around her little finger in no time," he said.

"I'm afraid now it's quite the other way around," Laira giggled.

"Speaking of first impressions, I have something else to admit to you. I think the moment I first met you I fell in love with you. I thought you were a brat, of course, but I think somehow I knew deep down I would spend my life with you," Peter said. Laira turned to her husband, her eyes softening as she looked into his eyes. A slow smile appeared on her face.

"I'm very glad to hear that darling. I absolutely hated you when we first met," she laughed. Peter joined in and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him.

"Why you little brat," he teased, tweaking her nose.

"Now, now. Is that any way to speak to the mother of your child?" she playfully scolded. Peter placed his hand on the small curve of her stomach that had begun to grow.

"I never quite imagined this would happen," Peter said.

"Really?" Laira asked, placing her hand over his. Peter grinned slightly.

"When Tirian asked Ed and me for permission to marry Lucy he explained that he was the last of the Narnian line and they would never have children. It made me wonder if that's how it would be for us. You were the last heir to the Archenland throne; I wasn't part of a line," he said. Laira was silent as she thought for a moment.

"It's funny you say that," she started as she pushed his mussed hair from his face. "When we were engaged, before the storm, I worried I wouldn't be able to give you children. Not once in my marriage to Brin did I even think I was pregnant. And then I was here, certain that a family was out of the question. I spoke to Aslan about it, explaining my worry that I, like you, thought I wasn't meant to have children because with the end of my life the Archenlander line ended. He told me that everything that we once dreamed was possible here. In his world, our lives could be all that we ever hoped they would be. Being here with you, at the beginning of our family, is exactly what I always dreamed my life would be," Laira explained.

"I'm very glad to hear that darling," he said, repeating her words as he pulled her close to him. "I wouldn't have our lives be any other way." The two held each other in blissful silence. Laira felt Peter's breathing steady, thinking him to be asleep. She closed her eyes, listening to the sound of his heart beating beneath her ear.

"When do you think we should tell the others?" he asked suddenly. Her eyes opened as she bit her lip nervously. She had already told Georgiana before the battle in Choras.

"Laira?" he questioned when she didn't answer.

"I... well, I already told Georgiana," she admitted. She felt him silently chuckle and his arms tighten around her.

"I suppose I should be upset that you told someone without me, but I already told Ed and Susan, so I suppose that makes us even," he laughed. Laira joined in with his laughter.

"I guess that just leaves Lucy. Maybe we should tell them in the morning," Peter suggested. Laira sat up and looked wryly at her husband.

"I don't think your sister and her new husband will be joining us for a few days," she teased. She burst into laughter at the horrified look on Peter's face as he leaned his head back and groaned.

"You're absolutely ridiculous. What on earth are you going to do if our child is a girl?" she laughed. Peter looked up at her and pulled her head down towards his, kissing her soundly. When he pulled back she was breathless, her eyes slightly glazed over. Peter smirked at her and replied, "I'll be locking her in a tower."

* * *

Susan shut the door to her son's bedroom and leaned against it. For the first time since she had come to Aslan's Country she felt exhausted, something she was certain could never happen here. She frowned at Robert who was sitting on one of the plush sofas of their sitting room. He looked thoroughly relaxed, his foot propped on his knee as he leaned back against the cushion and his eyes fixed on a large book. Sighing softly she pushed herself from the door and walked across the room, falling dramatically on the sofa next to him and leaning her head against his shoulder.

"Rough night?" Robert teased as he shut the book.

"You would think our children had never been to a party," she complained. Edward and Lillian, who had grown into a precocious 2 year old since they had arrived in Aslan's Country, had nearly run their poor nurse off earlier in the evening. They had wanted to see everything at the reception, running through the Great Hall looking at the decorations, trying to get into the lavish food and twirling each other until they fell over. Susan had finally sent the nurse away, sensing she was close to leaving Cair Paravel and never returning, only to find herself wishing she could do the same.

She had wanted to send the children to bed earlier, thinking that they were much too young to stay up as late as the party had lasted, but Lucy had pleaded with her to keep them there, claiming she wanted all her entire family to celebrate with her. When Susan finally managed to get her children to leave she hoped they would be tired enough to fall quickly asleep; however, they both were full of energy and eager to relive every moment of the party, talking Susan's ears off as she tucked them into bed. Robert chuckled as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"Well, it was the first time they ever went to a wedding reception for their Aunt Lucy," he teased.

"After tonight it'll be the last one they ever go to," she muttered.

"Love, don't be so put out. They were excited and it was quite a spectacular affair. I think you thoroughly outdid yourself tonight," he said. Susan smiled.

"I did do a pretty wonderful job, didn't I?" she bragged.

"Yes. I was very impressed. Mostly at your ability to keep silent about Lucy's rather odd requests. I was a bit surprised at the singing Peacocks," he laughed. Susan rolled her eyes and groaned.

"Don't even get me started. Do you know that the first time we were planning her wedding she wanted dancing satyrs to lead her up the aisle? I'm glad she decided that was a bit ridiculous," she said.

"Only a bit," Robert teased. He continued to run his fingers through her hair. Susan closed her eyes and sighed happily, the feeling of his fingers relaxing her. "Do you ever wish you and I had a wedding like that?" he asked softly. Susan opened her eyes and turned her head towards him, giving him an astonished look.

"What made you ask that?" she asked. Robert shrugged slightly.

"I saw how happy you were planning Lucy's wedding. I just wondered if that was the type you had wanted and were disappointed we never had one like it," he explained sheepishly. Susan sat up and moved the book from Robert's lap. She moved to sit in his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Robert St. James," she began seriously.

"Uh oh," he said, grinning nervously. Susan gave him a stern look before continuing, "Every minute of our relationship has been exactly what I wanted it to be, with the exception of that time we spent apart all those years ago. At one time I did want something similar to Lucy's wedding, the fairy tale that every girl dreams of. And then I grew up. I met you and saw that the fairy tale was just that: a tale. You showed me there was more to life than the silliness I had always wanted. You showed me love and kindness, that there was happiness even in the darkest of times. I wouldn't trade one second of any moment I've been with you for all the lavish weddings and fairy tales in the world."

Robert buried his hands in her hair, pulling her closer to him as he pressed his lips firmly against hers, kissing her lovingly. When they broke apart, breathless, Susan laid her head on Robert's chest, her heart beating excitedly against her chest.

"I love you, Queen Susan," Robert said. Susan smiled and replied, "I love you, too, King Robert the Hero." He groaned and laid his head back exasperatedly against the sofa.

"You're never going to let me forget that, are you?" he asked.

"Never," she replied. A loud crash followed by the wailing cries of their daughter sounded from Lillian's bedroom. Nearly simultaneously came a loud knock on the door to their apartment. Susan and Robert both sighed.

"It never just rains," Susan muttered as she pushed herself off Robert's lap.

"You go see who's at the door. I'll deal with the children," Robert chuckled as he stood, placing a small kiss on Susan's head. She smiled as she watched him walk to their daughter's room, bracing himself before opening it. The knock on the door sounded again, this time more urgently.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Susan called as she hurried to the door. She saw Lucy standing before it when she opened the door. "What in the world are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Tirian?" Susan asked when she saw her sister.

"Susan, something wonderful has happened!" Lucy cried as she threw her arms around her older sister. Susan hesitantly patted her back.

"Yes, I know about it. I'm married, too. Remember? But you don't have to come tell me whenever it does," Susan said. Lucy drew back, a confused look on her face.

"What in the name of Aslan are you talking about?" she asked. Susan cocked her head to the side.

"What are you talking about?" she asked as well. Lucy's face brightened.

"Olyria's come back!" she exclaimed.

"What? How?" Susan asked. Lucy shook her head.

"I don't know! She was just there when we got to our room. Come! I need your help!" she said excitedly as she grasped her sister's hand.

"Robert, I'll be back soon!" Susan called to her husband as Lucy pulled her into the hall, shutting the door behind her. Moments later Robert stepped into the sitting room.

"From now on, son, stay in your own room," he said sternly as he shut the door to his son's room, leaning on it as Susan had done earlier. "Putting them in adjoining rooms was our biggest mistake," he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. He had gone into Lillian's room only to see her sprawled on the floor and a guilty looking Edward picking up the broken pieces of a basin and pitcher. They had, as Edward had quickly explained, been practicing some of the Narnian dances they had seen at the party when Lillian had fallen into her washstand and knocked it over. Robert opened his eyes and saw the empty room. "Where did she go?" he asked as he pushed off the door and walked back to the sofa. Shrugging slightly he picked up his book and sat down to wait for her to return.

An hour passed before Susan returned, shutting the door gently behind her. "Any longer, love, and I might have come looking for you," he teased when she turned from the door. He caught her happy smile and returned it with one of his own. "Where did you go? You look rather happy about something," he stated, closing his book.

"It seems you're an uncle tonight," she replied as she sank onto the sofa beside him.

"Georgie?" he asked excitedly. Susan shook her head and said, "No, Lucy."

"Lucy? Awfully quick, don't you think?" he asked, leaning back. Susan softly smacked his arm and laughed.

"That was awful. No, somehow Olyria returned to them. She's this tiny, beautiful baby and is absolutely perfect. I don't think I've ever seen my sister quite so happy," Susan said, her voice growing somewhat dreamy.

"Tirian's a lucky man then," Robert said.

"Well, yes, I think he is. Why do you say that?" Susan asked, sitting up to look at him. Robert brushed a strand of her from her face.

"Because, love, if Lucy looks even half as beautiful as you do when you're happy, then he's extremely lucky." Susan leaned into him, softly pressing her lips to his. She felt his arms wind around her waist as he pulled her to him. When the kiss broke Susan laid her head on his shoulder, content to let him hold her, and whispered, "I'm the lucky one. Lucky to have received you, my wonderful husband."

* * *

_Georgie peeked around the side of the tall garden wall. Edmund sat with his back against one of the apple trees munching on an apple, his eyes fixated in front of him. Her heart fluttered from his appearance; his unruly dark hair was longer, brushing the edge of his tunic. A few days' worth of stubble grew on his face making him look rugged and sea-worn. His clothing was simple and plain; a white shirt with a dark tunic. Georgie knew Susan would have pitched a fit had she seen him in such clothing, especially considering where he had traveled. He had just returned from a diplomatic trip to Narrowhaven and, as Georgie suspected, was trying to steal a few moments of peace before he reported to the Council. _

_She saw him toss away the apple core and lie back on the grass, stacking his hands behind his head. Georgie watched him rest, pangs of longing overtaking her. She hated when he left; she always remained miserable until he returned. A mischievous smile grew on her face as a sudden idea popped into her head. Slowly creeping around the wall she tiptoed silently towards him. She paused slightly as she saw his elbow tense next to him before throwing herself next to him and covering his eyes with her hands. "Edmund!" she cried. Hoping to disguise her voice she continued in a deep gruff voice, "You'll never guess who I am!" _

_"Is it... Trumpkin?" Edmund guessed, seeming to be playing along. Georgie snorted. _

_"I don't sound that bad. Guess again!" she replied, changing the pitch of her voice. She saw Edmund's face playfully contort into a look of deep concentration before he replied, "Hmm. Could it be that damn Calormene spy we captured all those years ago who has continued to be a pain in my side ever since we let her out of her cell?" He pulled his hands behind his head and grabbed Georgie's wrists, pulling them from her face. She smiled as she looked into his deep brown eyes that seemed to smile back at her. _Oh Aslan, I've missed those eyes_, she thought._

"Oh!" Georgie cried, waking up from her dream. She sat up quickly and grasped her stomach. Pains shot through her rapidly making her breathing labored.

"G? What is it?" Edmund asked sleepily from next to her in their bed. Georgie gasped again as she dug her fingers into his shoulder. "Sweetheart?" he asked, fear lacing his voice as he grasped her hand and removed it from his arm.

"I think it's time!" she panted, closing her eyes against the sharp pain.

Hours later Edmund sat in the sitting room of his and Georgie's suite, his head buried in his hands. Peter and Susan had come to sit with him, hoping to be of some comfort to their younger brother.

"Why is it taking so long?" Edmund grumbled. Peter and Susan exchanged worried looks. Susan sat next to Edmund and gently placed her hand on his shoulder.

"These things take time," she said softly. A loud cry came from the bedroom causing Edmund's head to jerk up.

"I need to go in there," he exclaimed as he jumped up. Susan stood as well and grasped his arm.

"I don't think that would be the wisest thing," she said.

"Su, my wife is in pain! I can't just sit here!" he yelled, shaking her off.

"Ed, calm down. All of this is perfectly normal," Peter said.

"Calm down? You do realize that in a few months Laira is going to be in that exact position. Are you going to stay calm during it?" Edmund spat. Peter frowned at his brother and replied, "As a matter of fact, I will. I'm going to remember that I'm a king of Narnia and not some hot-headed fool like you're being at the moment."

"Will you two stop it? You're both acting ridiculous," Susan said, rolling her eyes as she sat down. The door suddenly flew open as Lucy burst into the room.

"Edmund! I came as soon as I heard!" she cried, tying the belt to her wrapper as she rushed to her brother and asked, "How is she?" A second cry came from the bedroom.

"Does that answer your question?" Edmund said in a strained voice. Lucy glanced nervously at the door before hugging him tightly. Seconds later the sound of a baby's wails rang out. Edmund pulled away from Lucy and rushed to the door. A nervous looking dryad quickly came out of the bedroom and shut the door behind her.

"Your majesty should not go in there just yet," she said, holding her hands up in front of her. Susan moved to Edmund's side and grabbed his hand.

"What's wrong?" he asked forcefully. Before the dryad could answer a scream, followed by more cries of a baby, came from the bedroom.

"Please, your majesty. Wait only a moment more," the dryad said gently.

"I can't stand out here!" Edmund yelled. He felt a firm hand clamp on his shoulder.

"You must, Edmund," Peter said firmly.

"Come sit," Lucy bade from the sofa. Edmund turned and stared hard at his sister. Lucy shrunk back from the dark look he shot her and said, "Or just stand." The bedroom door opened a second time and the midwife poked her head out, a wide smile on her face.

"Your majesty, you may come in now," she said. Edmund pushed past his older sister and brother and went into his bedroom. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Georgie and rushed to the side of the bed.

"Sweetheart," he whispered, squeezing her hand. She turned her head to him and gave him a weak smile.

"Edmund, you're here," she said. He lifted her hand and kissed it.

"Of course I'm here," he said.

"Would you like to meet your son?" she asked softly.

"A son? We have a son?" he asked in awe. Georgie nodded and turned towards the midwife. The woman carried a small bundle to the couple and placed it in Georgie's outstretched arms. A tiny dark-headed face peeked out from the blanket. Edmund hesitantly ran a finger down the side of the baby's face.

"Would you like to meet his sister?" Georgie asked. Edmund looked up, shock on his face. Georgie smiled.

"We have a son and a daughter," she whispered as the midwife handed a second bundle to Edmund.

"Twins?" he asked, still shocked.

"That's right. Explains why I was so huge," Georgie gently laughed. Edmund stood and carefully sat next to Georgie on the bed, leaning to her and kissing her forehead.

"They're perfect," he whispered. She touched her daughter's tiny hand and smiled.

"We're a family now," she said, glancing up at Edmund. A soft knock came from the door as Lucy peered around it.

"Can we come see the happy family?" she said, smiling widely.

"Come meet your niece and nephew," Edmund said cheerfully. Georgie smiled as she watched her family walk into the room. Tirian followed behind Lucy, carrying baby Olyria. Edward rushed into the room, pulling out of Susan's grasp as she hurried behind him. Robert carried in a sleepy looking Lillian and shaking his head at his son's behavior. Peter and Laira followed behind them wearing wide smiles.

Georgie looked around at the faces that made up her family. In another lifetime she had been alone. Her family, her parents and she, had been small. Here, in her wonderful eternity, she had a family larger than she could have ever imagined, made of brothers and sisters who loved her and loved each other. She thought her life had been complete. But now, holding her son, her husband holding her daughter, she saw that her happiness was far from being complete. It could only grow and would continue to grow for all eternity.

She felt Edmund's arm tighten gently around her shoulders as he leaned towards her, his lips close to her ear, and whispered, "One tiny correction, sweetheart. We were a family the second you walked into my life." Georgie glanced at her husband, her eyes brimming with happy tears, and smiled. Her heart was overflowing with joy and love as she looked back to her son and daughter, their son and daughter, and said,. "Welcome home, my little ones."

* * *

**Final AN: Well, my dear readers, there you have it. The end of the Grace Series. For those of you who have followed since the beginning of Choosing Grace, thank you. Your support has meant so much to me and I'm so happy I was able to entertain you with these three stories. For those of you who have just joined us, thank you as well. You mean a lot to me also.**

**I admit, writing this one wasn't exactly as fun as the Choosing Grace and Receiving Grace, but it gave me the chance to write about my least favorite Pevensie and now... well, I think I have a new respect for Lucy.**

**The ending of this story is slightly bittersweet. I'm thrilled to see where Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy have ended up, seen them fall in love and marry, start families of their own. I'm happy that my other characters, Laira, Robert and Georgie (especially Georgie) turned out to be everything I wanted them to be. But in a way, I wish I never had to end it. They've all been such a large part of my world for so many months now as I've written that I've gotten used to them. And now they're gone and the stories are over. Oh, what will I do now?**

**Actually, I've been waiting to finish Finding Grace so I can begin my own work of fiction, just for funsies (me working on 2 projects at once is a big no-no). Although I don't know how far I'll get without my awesome reviewers constantly inflating my ego and encouraging me to go on! I'll eventually post a link to my blog so, if you would like to, you can keep up with my progress on it and maybe get to read a bit of it. Keep an eye on my profile for it!**

**Again, thank you all so much for everything you have given to me, encouraging me to continue on when I felt I could not, giving me inspiration when I thought it had all run out, and helping me to find a true passion for writing. If you are working on your own stories, I wish you all the best and, now that I'm no longer writing my own, I look forward to reading some of your works. You all have been the best readers, reviewers, and, in an odd 21st century high-techy kind of way, friends. Thank you again and goodbye!**


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